Which countries use Nutri-Score?

Seven European countries have been coordinating Nutri-Score since February 2021: France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. The logo is applied voluntarily by manufacturers. The years of adoption vary according to sources, from 2017 for France to 2021 for Luxembourg.

Is Nutri-Score mandatory in Europe?

No. It is voluntary in the countries that use it. The European Commission considered in 2020 that a harmonised and mandatory labelling system would be appropriate, without recommending a specific system, but the announced legislative proposal has not been finalised to date, according to our research. Only the Commission's page is authoritative.

How does the Canadian symbol work?

It is mandatory on pre-packaged foods that reach or exceed 15% of the daily value (10% for small portions of 30 g or less, 30% for main dishes) in saturated fat, sugars or sodium. It says "High in" followed by the nutrients concerned. Full compliance has been required since 1 January 2026.

What is the difference between Nutri-Score and the British traffic light system?

Nutri-Score gives an overall score from A to E. The British traffic light system assigns a colour to each nutrient (fats, saturated fats, sugars, salt) and does not give an overall score. Both are voluntary. The first makes comparison easier, the second shows where each weakness lies.

Nutri-Score worldwide, Canada, traffic light system

Three approaches to front-of-pack labelling

Summarising a product's nutritional quality at a glance has been tried by several countries, with very different choices. Nutri-Score, born in France, has spread to a handful of European countries. Canada has made a warning symbol mandatory. The UK has popularised an optional "traffic light" system, nutrient by nutrient.

This article compares these systems. For a detailed calculation of the score, seeUnderstanding Nutri-Score: calculation, grades A to E and limitations; for Nutri-Score's place among other scores, seeAll scores compared: Nutri-Score, NOVA, Green-Score.

Which countries have adopted Nutri-Score?

According to Santé publique France, Nutri-Score was first implemented in France in 2017. Seven European countries (France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland) then announced, on 12 February 2021, atransnational coordination mechanismto facilitate its use.

According to the 2021 report of the steering committee of this coordination, published by the Luxembourg government, the choices were spread out over time:

France: adopted in 2017.
Belgium: choice made in 2018.
Switzerland: choice made in 2019.
Germany: choice made in 2020 according to this report, with an effective market introduction in November 2020.
Luxembourg: choice made in 2021, with a regulation adopted in May 2021 that allows operators to use the logo.
Spain and the Netherlands: intention to adopt announced before 2021 (November 2018 for Spain and November 2019 for the Netherlands, according to Santé publique France); Spain has been a member of the steering committee since its creation.

The dates vary according to sources, as one can date a political decision, an announcement or the arrival of logos on the shelves. Santé publique France, for example, cites Germany and Switzerland in September 2019 and Luxembourg in 2020; as a precaution, therefore, remember the order of magnitude rather than the exact year.

In all these countries, the logo isvoluntary: Public Health France specifies that it can be applied by producers on a voluntary basis. A product without a logo is therefore not necessarily a poorly rated product: the manufacturer has simply chosen not to display it.

European governance, without a common legal framework

Coordination relies on two bodies created in early 2021: asteering committee(first meeting on 25 January 2021) and ascientific committee(first meeting on 12 February 2021). The latter includes one or two independent experts appointed by each country and assesses possible developments of the algorithm, including alignment with dietary recommendations. This common governance prevents the same logo from being calculated differently from one country to another.

At European Union level, the question of harmonised labelling remains open. On its page dedicated to nutritional labelling, the Commission recalls its report of 20 May 2020, which states that it seems appropriate to introduce mandatory and harmonised nutritional labelling on the front of packaging. This report does not recommendany specific system, and the page states that the Commission is preparing a legislative proposal, initially expected by the end of 2022 in the 'Farm to Fork' strategy.

This proposal has not been finalised to date, according to our research: a written question in the French Senate (June 2025) states that the Commission has recently decided not to present it, and the ministerial response of September 2025 recalls that Nutri-Score remains a logo for voluntary use, with France supporting it in the case of a harmonised European system. The situation may change: only the Commission's page is authoritative.

Italy advocates another approach. A ministerial decree of 19 November 2020 created theNutrInform Battery, an optional logo that shows, for a portion, the proportion of energy, fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt in relation to reference intakes. It does not assign a letter or a colour: it informs without classifying.

The Canadian symbol: a mandatory warning

Health Canada has chosen a completely different principle. The nutritional symbol on the front of the packaging ismandatoryfor prepackaged foods that reach or exceed certain thresholds insaturated fat, sugars or sodium. It is in black and white, with a magnifying glass and the words 'High in' followed by the nutrient(s) concerned.

The thresholds are expressed as a percentage of the daily value (DV), according to Health Canada's guide for industry:

15% of the DVor more: default threshold, for foods whose reference quantity exceeds 30 g or 30 mL.
10% of the DVor more: for foods whose reference quantity is 30 g or 30 mL or less.
30% of the DVor more: for main dishes whose reference quantity is 200 g or more.

The regulation came into force upon its publication in the Canada Gazette on 20 July 2022, with a transition period: full compliance is required from1 January 2026. Certain categories are exempt (subject to conditions for some), such as fruits and vegetables without added saturated fat, sugars or sodium, plain milk, yogurt and cheese rich in calcium, butter, sugar, salt or oils.

Another fundamental difference: the Canadian symbol does not assign a good grade. Itonly indicates what is in excess, and the absence of a symbol means that the product does not reach any threshold, not that it is excellent.

The British tricolour light: a colour code per nutrient

In the United Kingdom, the system recommended by health ministers combinescoloursandpercentages of reference intakes. According to the official government guide, labelling on the front of packaging remainsvoluntary; if provided, it must comply with the European consumer information regulation, with two possible formats: energy alone, or energy plus four nutrients (fat, saturated fat, sugars, salt).

Each nutrient receives its own colour. For a food, here are the guide's thresholds, per 100 g:

Fats: green up to 3.0 g, red above 17.5 g.
Saturated fats: green up to 1.5 g, red above 5.0 g.
Sugars: green up to 5.0 g, red above 22.5 g.
Salt: green up to 0.3 g, red above 1.5 g.

Between the two, the colour is orange. The guide adds thresholds per portion for portions larger than 100 g, and specifies that energy is not coloured. There is therefore no overall score: a yoghurt can display green for salt and orange for sugars. The thresholds for beverages are different, and the information is given "per 100 g/mL" or per portion.

Comparison at a glance

Nutri-Score: aglobal scorefrom A to E calculated from the nutritional profile per 100 g or 100 mL;voluntaryin countries that use it; displays a letter and a colour.
Canadian symbol: awarningper critical nutrient (saturated fat, sugars, sodium);mandatoryfrom the compliance date of 1 January 2026; displays "High in" only if the DV threshold is reached.
British traffic light system: acolour code per nutrient(fat, saturated fat, sugars, salt) accompanied by quantities and reference intakes;voluntary; no overall score.
NutrInform Battery (Italy): aninformationon the proportion of reference intakes covered by one portion;optional; no letters or colours.

What this means for the consumer

Depending on the country, the same product may carry a logo, a warning or nothing at all: the absence of a label is not a verdict.
An overall score (Nutri-Score) makes it easier to compare products within the same family; a code per nutrient (traffic light) helps to see where the weak point lies; a warning (Canada) alerts about excesses.
A voluntary logo is more often affixed to products whose manufacturer is satisfied with the score: the set of products displaying the logo is not a neutral sample.

Common limits

All these systems look at nutrients, not the overall quality of the food. None of them say much about additives, the degree of processing or the environmental impact, which other scores aim to measure. They are also read per portion or per 100 g, never per frequency of consumption, which counts as much as the score. For a comparison of the robustness of these benchmarks, seeWhich nutritional score is the most reliable?.

In Yumiq, the product sheet indicates the number of additives detected (harmless, to be monitored, at risk). The Yumiq-Score penalises controversial additives assessed by EFSA and ANSES, and the Yumiq star requires the absence of any additives at risk: dimensions that neither Nutri-Score nor the Canadian and British systems cover.

Nutri-Score worldwide: countries, Canada and traffic light system