Nutrient Profile Models (NPMs) are calculations used to assess the healthfulness of foods based on their nutritional composition, including calorie content. Most models consider contributions from nutrients that are considered to be beneficial to health and offset this against nutrients that should be limited within a healthy diet to give an overarching health score. The end result could be a number, a traffic light colour, a grade or a combination of these, which can be especially useful for food businesses in menu design, customer communication, and regulatory compliance.

For food businesses, understanding and integrating insights from NPM calculations is crucial not only to comply with evolving regulations but also to meet consumer demand for healthier food options and to contribute to the global effort in combating diet-related non-communicable diseases(diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers). 

Nutrient Profile Models – A Global View 

Scientific review studies have identified and interrogated over 160 NPMs. This highlights the need for NPMs to be tailored to regional dietary patterns and public health goals. The widespread adoption of NPMs also highlights their significance in global nutrition strategies. While population health needs and nutrients of interest may vary between models and countries, it is widely accepted that the nutritional quality of foods can be determined by assessing the content of beneficial nutrients such as fibre, vitamins, and whole fruits and vegetables, as well as components that should be limited in a healthy diet, like sugar, sodium, and saturated fat.

Where do we find Nutrient Profile Models and what are they used for? 

  • Front of Pack Labelling: France has adopted the Nutri-Score label, which provides a visual guide to the nutritional quality of foods, encouraging healthier choices at a glance. Australia and New Zealand use the Health Star Rating and in the UK and Ireland we are familiar with the Traffic light system. While these systems are standard for retail packaged foods, many food service and hospitality are using these established standards to get ahead of the game and fulfil consumer desire for increased transparency.  
  • Advertising Regulations: The UK HFSS model restricts the advertising of high-fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) foods to children, aiming to reduce their exposure to unhealthy food options. 
  • Product Reformulation: NPMs drive food manufacturers to reformulate products to meet healthier standards, reducing harmful ingredients while enhancing nutritional value.  

Challenges and Future Directions

Despite their benefits, NPMs face challenges such as varying criteria across different models, potential industry resistance, and the need for continuous updates to reflect evolving nutritional science. Future advancements should focus on harmonising criteria, increasing transparency, and leveraging technological innovations to enhance the nutritional model’s accuracy, support large scale adaptation and improve consumer engagement.

How Nutritics can help; a real-time solution for food operators

Regardless of the chosen NPM, the process for calculating the end score is complex and involves gathering detailed nutritional information like energy, sugars, saturated fats, sodium, fibre, protein, and specific ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, oil and legumes. Finding accurate and comprehensive nutritional information for each ingredient can involve looking up data in food composition databases or extracting information from product specifications which can be detailed and extensive. 

Once the required nutritional information is collected, it needs to be calculated using the appropriate formula or algorithm (e.g., Nutri-Score or Health Star Rating). This process can be extremely time consuming and requires careful attention to detail to ensure all values are correctly inputted and calculated.  From previous experience, when technology wasn’t as advanced as it is now, having to conduct a manual calculation on a food item to assess it’s nutrient profile would have taken hours depending on the availability of information. Working on multiple food items and documenting the results took weeks. 

Nutritics is a real time food information management system that is optimised for recipe calculation and allergen management – any recipes calculated in Nutritics can avail of a regionally specific NPM calculations with multiple nutrient profile models available including the UK FSA HFSS model, NutriScore and the Health Star Rating 

Nutritics not only supports food operators in navigating the complexities of NPMs but also enhances their ability to manage calories and allergens effectively, leading to better customer satisfaction and regulatory adherence.