In France, all branded Carrefour suppliers will be required to state the Nutri-Score of their products on the retailer’s website and app. Those who refuse to do so will be penalised.
A three-month deadline
Carrefour itself already lists the Nutri-Score of some 5,000 private label products, and now the retailer is giving national brand manufacturers three months to do the same for all products on the carrefour.fr website and in the app. This is according to a letter from top executive Alexandre Bompard to his suppliers, which came into the hands of Le Parisien.
In the absence of manufacturer information, Carrefour will calculate the Nutri-Score itself. Manufacturers opposing the publication will be penalised: the retailer will inform its customers of the refusal, and will also exclude the brands concerned from the ‘mieux manger’ (‘eat better’) tool on its website: that is a tool that allows customers to easily find a healthier alternative to their choices.
Resistance from brands
For Carrefour, the rollout of the Nutri-Score is an important part of its Act for Food programme, which commits the retailer to a healthy and sustainable food transition. The label helps shoppers make better choices.
But since a recent review of the algorithm behind the Nutri-Score, opposition among brand manufacturers is increasing. Noteworthy was the decision by Danone, originally one of the label’s proponents, to stop listing the Nutri-Score on its drinkable dairy products and plant-based alternatives because they received a less favourable score. Multinationals like Coca-Cola, Ferrero, Mars, Mondelez and Kraft Heinz never introduced the Nutri-Score. Carrefour is thus increasing the pressure on its biggest suppliers with this decision.
