EROSKI confirms that their own-brand products with better nutritional composition according to the Nutri-Score labelling gain share and promote a healthier shopping basket

EROSKI‘s implementation of the Nutri-Score advanced nutritional labelling system in their own-brand products, taking the lead in Spanish distribution at the end of 2019, has been shown to have a positive impact on the nutritional quality of the shopping basket. The analysis of data regarding the evolution of sales and the nutritional composition of these products between 2020 and 2023 (both inclusive) has led to the conclusion that this labelling has made it easier for consumers to make more conscious and healthier purchasing decisions, while also promoting significant improvements in the nutritional composition of the products.

The analysis carried out reviews the evolution of sales in each product category for each of the letters in this labelling (which classifies products from A, in green colour, associated to those products with the best nutritional profile, to E, in red colour, associated to those products with the worst nutritional profile due to their higher caloric content and greater presence of nutrients such as fat, especially saturated fat, sugar and salt). “The conclusions demonstrate the good results of the Nutri-Score labelling: most of the sales were concentrated in the best letters (A and B) to the detriment of the least interesting (D and E), which is really satisfactory; moreover, the analysis confirms that in most food groups the share in sales of these best letters has increased over time, showing that, when consumers have clear, transparent, reliable and easy-to-check information, they make good use of it to improve their eating habits and their health, and they do so in a sustained manner”, says Alejandro Martinez Berriochoa, EROSKI’s Director of Health, Sustainably and Quality as well as Director of the EROSKI Foundation. “And this positive result has taken place with no repercussions on unprocessed fresh foods, which do not have Nutri-Score. The hypothesis that Nutri-Score could have a negative effect on the sales of these fresh products, the basis of a healthy diet, has now been totally debunked”, adds Martinez Berriochoa.

At the end of the year 2023, half of the total sales of EROSKI’s own-brand products with Nutri-Score labelling corresponded to products classified with letters A and B, the most favourable from the nutritional point of view. This percentage goes up to 74 % when products with letter C are included. These percentages consistently improve the initial data of the study, from 2020.

Results by category of the base of the Healthy Eating Pyramid

The study presented by EROSKI’s Food School provides information broken down by food group, and starts with those food groups situated at the base of the Healthy Eating Pyramid, those that should be eaten very frequently or even daily.

In the fruit and vegetables category (excluding fresh products, which do not have nutritional labelling, and including products such as preserved and dehydrated fruit and vegetables, and ready-made fruit and vegetable dishes), the impact of Nutri-Score has been remarkably positive. Thus, the data for 2023 show that 85 % of the sales were concentrated in products classified with letters A and B (with a remarkable 80 % specifically in letter A), with a shift in sales towards the best letters since the implementation of Nutri-Score (the sales of products with letter A increased by 6 percentage points). This evolution shows a shift towards healthier options that is partly due to the reformulation of the processed products in these ranges.

Something similar happens in another relevant food group, which comprises cereal and potato products (including cereal such as rice and rice products, bread, pasta, potatoes and dishes prepared with these ingredients). Once again, there was a high concentration of sales in the most favourable letters, A and B: 90 %, no less. The evolution with regard to 2020 shows an increase by almost 4 percentage points in products with letter B, at the expense of the decrease by almost 3 points in those classified as D (which shows that the products reformulated for the better, have been preferred by consumers). The greater presence of wholemeal products and the reformulation of the recipes of ready-made rice- and pasta-based dishes have resulted in healthier choices.

In the category of legumes and seeds and nuts, the Nutri-Score labelling has driven a noticeable improvement in the nutritional profile of the sales. In 2023, 73 % of the sales corresponded to products A and B (with a remarkable 61 % in letter A). The evolution with regard to 2020 shows an increase by 4 percentage points in products with letter A, whereas the least favourable letters, such as D and E, saw their share reduced. This progress is largely attributed to the improvement in the processed ranges, such as preserved legumes, and ready-made legume dishes.

Finally, similar results were obtained in foods and drinks that are apparently less related, in the minds of consumers, to the concern for a healthy diet, such as coffee-based drinks, teas and waters, which show a noticeable positive evolution thanks to the implementation of Nutri-Score in EROSKI’s own brands. In 2023, 61% of the sales corresponded to products classified with letter A, whereas 38% were related to products with letter B, which evinces a strong preference for options with a better nutritional profile. Moreover, when compared to 2020, this increase in the sales of products with letters A and B was accompanied by a reduction by 19.6 percentage points in the sales of products classified with less favourable letters, such as C and D. This reflects the positive impact of Nutri-Score in promoting healthier purchasing decisions and the capacity to influence the reconfiguration of the ranges offered by the food sector actors.

The study does not include data regarding the oil category, due to the fact that, as a result of recent changes in the calculation algorithm for these products, there are no sufficient data to provide reliable conclusions. With the new algorithm, which assigns letter B to olive oil (the most representative as regards sales in this category), a positive result is foreseen for the future.

Results by category of the middle of the Healthy Eating Pyramid

The results of the analysis of the food groups situated in the middle of the Healthy Eating Pyramid, those that should be eaten frequently, with several portions a week, lead to similar conclusions.

The dairy products category (which, in addition to milk, includes fresh, semi-cured and cured cheese, yogurt with no added sugar or sweeteners, kefir, curd and similar products such as vegetable drinks), presents a positive profile as regards healthier consumption. In 2023, 50 % of the sales were concentrated in products with letters A and B, whereas 35 % corresponded to letter D, mainly due to the most cured cheeses, whose natural composition affects this rating, since they are healthy products but high in fat and salt. In terms of the evolution with regard to 2020, an increase by almost 3 percentage points can be observed in products classified as A, whereas those products with letter D saw their share reduced by 3.4 points, which shows a shift towards healthier options. This improvement is due to increased customer awareness and the reformulation of certain products.

Two food groups that are highly relevant in the structuring of the usual menus in our gastronomic culture, fish and meat, pivot on unprocessed fresh products, which do not have Nutri-Score. However, the study revealed some interesting results in both categories in connection with preserved and frozen fish, processed meats, and ready-made meat and fish dishes, which are provided with this front labelling, whose usefulness and effectiveness is interesting to assess.

In the fish and seafood category (which includes frozen and preserved fish and seafood, as well as ready-made fish- and seafood-based dishes), the analysis shows a high share in the best letters (only 16 % of the sales are D), with a relatively stable situation since 2020, in spite of the progressive increase of the weight of ready-made dishes in the sales.

The meat category (which includes processed white and red meats and ready-made meat dishes, but not cold meats or sausages) presents a favourable evolution over time. In 2023, 47 % of the sales were concentrated in letter B and 44 % in letter C. Worthy of note is the increase by over 8 percentage points in letter B, whereas letter D decreased by over 7 points, after a clear shift of the sales towards the best letters. Ready-made meat dishes reached 65 % of their sales in recipes with letters A and B.

The aggregate result of the dairy, egg, fish and meat groups, which represent the products of animal origin situated in the middle of the Nutritional Pyramid, is positive. In 2023, 55 % of the sales were concentrated in products classified with letters A and B, which shows the trend towards healthier options. When compared to 2020, the sales of products with letter A increased by 1.1 percentage points, whereas the products with letter C decreased by 1.8 points. These data show a general improvement in the nutritional profile of these categories and highlight the commitment to a more balanced and healthier diet with a tendency towards improvement over time.

Results by category at the top of the Healthy Eating Pyramid

Finally, it is interesting to verify the behaviour of the food groups that should be eaten occasionally, those that we must avoid in our everyday life and eat only on special occasions, from time to time.

In the processed and cold meat category (which comprises processed meat products and cold meats such as chorizo, salchichon and boiled ham), most of the sales were concentrated in the least favourable letters, D and E, (40% and 32%, respectively), which is consistent with the fact that these products are usually high in calories, fat –especially saturated fat- and salt. The evolution between 2020 and 2023 shows a positive effect, with an increase by almost 3 percentage points in letter B and a decrease by 2.4 points in letter E, which suggest a more conscious choice by consumers.

In the pre-cooked food category (which includes products such as pizza, pies and lasagne, amongst others), 82 % of the sales were concentrated in letters A, B and C, with a predominance of letter C, reaching 61 % of the total, which is consistent with full recipes ready to be eaten after being cooked at home, already finished, and, therefore, with more ingredients. The evolution of their sales between 2020 y 2023 shows a stable pattern, since the reduced weight of the sales of products B is distributed between products A (which grow by 3.4 points) and C (which grow by 2.4 points).

In the sauce category (which includes options such as tomato sauce, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce and the like), the sales were widely distributed due to the variety of products. In 2023, 37 % of the sales corresponded to letter A, whereas 20 % were concentrated in letter E, showing opposite sides in the preferences and a wide range of ingredients and recipes. The evolution reflects a striking behaviour. On the one hand, we observe a considerable increase (6 percentage points) in products with letter A, which evinces the preference for healthier options when it is easy to detect them thanks to nutritional labelling that is clear for consumers. However, on the other hand, the weight of products with letter E in the sales has also been growing (8.7 points). This apparent inconsistency can be explained by the wide variety of solutions in this category, and evinces that the interest of consumers is not always guided by the search for healthier options.

In the salty snacks category, more than half of the sales, 52 %, were concentrated in letter C, which shows how difficult it is to achieve better nutritional classifications in these types of products, due to their nature and ingredients. In spite of this objective difficulty, the evolution between 2020 and 2023 shows a decrease in the weight of letters D (by 6 points) and E (by 0.2 points), whose sales shift towards products with letter C (which grow by 8.4 points). These results show that even in indulgence categories that have fewer options with letters A and B, consumers shift their choice to the best solutions available.

In the analysis of EROSKI’s own-brand sweet foods and drinks with Nutri-Score labelling, a positive evolution in most subcategories can be observed, with a shift in the sales towards the best classified letters. In sweet breakfast products, such as cookies and pastries, the weight of letter E has gone down significantly in favour of healthier classifications such as D and C: positive trend. In sweet desserts (which includes yogurt with added sugar and sweeteners, dairy desserts and ice-cream), the improvement is linked to the elimination of ingredients such as palm fat in products of the EROSKI brand (above all in ice-cream). Sweet drinks show a positive behaviour, especially with the elimination of products classified as E and a shift towards central classifications. In the chocolate and other sweet products category (such as sweet snacks, cakes, confectionery and jams), a shift towards letters that are better classified can be observed, which is positive. In general, the rest of the sweet products maintain a homogeneous behaviour towards more balanced options; worthy of note are the advances in categories such as jams, with a remarkable increase in letter A.

Advances in healthy eating with Nutri-Score

“The implementation of the Nutri-Score advanced nutritional labelling has fulfilled its main aims: provide clear, transparent information based on science and easy to understand for consumers, and promote the reformulation of products towards improved nutritional profiles, even with the elimination of less adequate products. This advance allows taking more conscious are healthy decisions, aligned with the nutritional quality of the shopping basket. Moreover, the analysis carried out between 2020 and 2023 confirms that consumers understand, value and use the labelling”, says EROSKI’s Director of Health, Sustainability and Quality, Alejandro Martinez Berriochoa.

In short, Nutri-Score represents an effective tool to promote healthier consumption choices and enhance continuous improvement in the commercial offer. The analysis of data between 2020 and 2023 represents a first step to confirm the good performance of Nutri-Score. “With the implementation of a new calculation algorithm, as of 2024, at EROSKI we will continue monitoring its impact in order to guarantee its effectiveness. The application of the advanced labelling to all products and brands could enhance its positive effects even more. Its adoption reinforces EROSKI’s commitment to the promotion of healthy and conscious eating”, says Martinez Berriochoa.