Aligning nutrient profiling with dietary guidelines: modifying the Nutri-Score algorithm to include whole grains.

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Public Health
• Food Science

Background:

• Whole grains are recognized for health benefits but are often excluded from nutrient profiling systems.
• Existing systems like Nutri-Score may not fully capture the nutritional value of whole grain-containing foods.
• Accurate food and diet quality assessment is crucial for public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate modifications to the Nutri-Score algorithm by incorporating whole grain content.
• To determine if including whole grains improves the assessment of food and overall diet quality.
• To compare the original and modified Nutri-Score using international food composition and dietary intake data.

Main Methods:

• The Nutri-Score algorithm was modified to include whole-grain content, with a minimum threshold of 25%.
• The modified algorithm was applied alongside the original Nutri-Score to food composition data from Australia, France, the UK, and the US.
• Whole-diet nutritional scores were calculated and compared with population-specific diet-quality scores.

Main Results:

• The modified Nutri-Score algorithm strengthened correlations between whole-grain content and nutritional scores, particularly in grain-specific foods.
• A notable shift towards better Nutri-Score classes (e.g., B to A) was observed with the modified algorithm.
• Correlations between whole-diet nutritional scores and diet-quality scores improved slightly, indicating better alignment with national dietary guidelines.

Conclusions:

• Incorporating whole grains into the Nutri-Score algorithm is scientifically justified to enhance its alignment with dietary recommendations.
• The modified Nutri-Score better reflects the contribution of whole grains to overall dietary quality.
• Further research is recommended to explore alternative algorithms and nutrient profiling systems for comprehensive dietary assessment.