Nutritional quality of foods consumed by the Portuguese population according to the Nutri-Score and consistency with nutritional recommendations

In the last few years, public health authorities have shown interest in introducing front-of-pack labelling (FOPL), as one of the main policies to combat diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Nutri-Score is a FOPL that categorizes a food product into five categories according to its nutritional value. This study aimed to investigate the ability of Nutri-Score to discriminate the nutritional quality of foods consumed by the Portuguese population and the consistency with the food-based dietary guidelines. The applicability of Nutri-Score was assessed by applying it to 165 food products that were considered under the PT-Total Diet Study (PT-TDS). At least three categories (colours/letters) of the Nutri-Score were observed for most of the food groups and for sub-groups a minimum of two categories were identified. The Nutri-Score showed moderate agreement with the Portuguese Nutrient Profile Model (PT-NPM) (k = 0.416). The food classification according to the Nutri-Score was consistent with the nutritional recommendations. Food groups in which consumption is encouraged were more favourably classified than those in which consumption should be limited (i.e., Vegetables and Pastries were classified as A (93.0%) and E (57.1%), respectively). Appropriate food labelling with a system such as Nutri-Score can be relevant to health-promoting purchasing choices, improving diet quality and consequently public health.