Front-of-pack nutrition labels on ready-to-eat meals

Abstract

The consumption of ready-to-eat meals has been increasing in Europe, with relevant implications for public health, including in Portugal. In this context, front-of-pack nutrition labelling emerges as a widely recognized measure to empower consumers to make healthier and more informed food choices. However, there is still no consensus regarding the most effective labelling system, which raises challenges for its harmonized implementation. The present study aimed to evaluate the agreement between the classifications attributed by the systems - Nordic Keyhole and Nutri-Score - in ready-to-eat meals, based on the values declared on the label and the analytical values. The data related to 11 meals were collected between March and May, 2025, through the internal computer system of a national meal production unit. An agreement of 73% was found between the two systems based on the declared values and 64% based on the analytical values. In both cases, most of the discrepancies occurred in meals classified with Nutri-Score B but not eligible for the Keyhole.