La Sorélait (Danone Reunion) has started to submit its ranges to Nutri-Score, nutritional labeling of food products, at the end of 2020. A year and a half later, the company was little followed and remains a pioneer in this level of consumer information in Reunion.
If the Nutri-Score remains optional, agri-food manufacturers are, in a city, more and more people are adopting it. This labeling gives a nutritional score to food products in the form of five letters (from A to E) and color coded. In the meeting, we are starting to see it appear on local products, but to this day, there are still few industrial players in Reunion to appear on the list of companies applying the Nutri-Score established by Santé Publique France, the national public health agency (see box) : besides Danone Réunion, Morning eggs, Creole Fisherman, Royal Bourbon… Does Nutri-Score belong to CSR or should it be considered as a commercial argument ? “The Nutri-Score is completely part of Danone’s CSR approach, answers François Gillet, general director of Sorelait (Danone Reunion). Sorelait has existed for over 30 years. Proximity with the people of Réunion has always been extremely important for the company. Through the Nutri-Score, the clarity and transparency of the nutritional information it provides to the consumer, we complete and amplify this proximity. The Nutri-Score has no commercial purpose in itself. It is part of our desire to participate in the economic and social development of the island.. Food is the primary vector of health. We know the prevalence of obesity and diabetes in Reunion. As an agri-food company, we have a duty to help consumers learn more about their diet. »
Informed Reunion consumers
On this plane, Danone Réunion can boast enviable nutritional scores : 63% of yogurts submitted to the Nutri-Score are classified A or B, the two best marks. No Danone Réunion product is rated D or E, worst grades. The first Nutri-Scores appeared on Oïkos yogurts made in Réunion at the end of 2020. 95% of references now display a Nutri-Score. The last products not yet rated will be rated during the year. It should be noted that these are scores that apply specifically to products manufactured in Reunion Island.. The Nutri-Score ranking is based on regular analyzes of the product by an independent laboratory.. Can we measure its impact on customers? ? “What we know, is that 72% of consumers are aware of the Nutri-Score and 35% know perfectly what it means” declares François Gillet. otherwise, the application of Nutri-Score does not induce additional complexity in terms of process. So why not more Nutri-Score candidates in Reunion? ? The fear of a bad image in the event of unfavorable classification of products ? François Gillet believes that this is a risk worth running. “We have to trust the consumer. He has the maturity to understand the process. »
THE NUTRI-SCORE INITIATED BY SANTÉ PUBLIC FRANCE
It is in France that the project of nutritional labeling of processed food products saw the light of day in 2014 on the basis of a report submitted to the Minister of Health. Nutri-Score had a rocky start, some of the giants of the agri-food industry are opposed to it, before finally adopting it. Several European countries have joined. In France, the Nutri-Score is issued by Santé Publique France. “The logo is awarded on the basis of a score taking into account per 100 g or 100 ml of product, the content : in nutrients and foods to promote (fibers, proteins, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, rapeseed oil, nuts and olive), and nutrients to limit (energy, saturated fatty acids, sucres, sel). After calculation, the score obtained by a product allows it to be assigned a letter and a color. » The right to use the Nutri-Score is free.