Nutri-Score: how to actually use it for the family shop
Nutri-Score helps you decide between two boxes of cereal, two ready meals or a shelf of yoghurts. What it will not tell you is whether a product is cheap, whether it suits your family, or whether it belongs in this week's meals at all.
So a genuinely useful shop pairs it with other criteria: price per kilo, the ingredient list, the portions you need and the recipes you have planned. Here is how to use the label without going on a hunt for grade A products.
What the letter measures, and what it ignores
Santé publique France updated its public guide on 21 September 2026. It grades products from A, in dark green, to E, in dark orange, according to nutritional quality. The calculation takes into account fibre, protein, fruit, vegetables and pulses, energy content, sugars, saturated fat and salt.
The label is voluntary: a manufacturer is under no obligation to display it, so its absence does not automatically flag a poor product.
The calculation has changed, and the new algorithm has applied in France since March 2025. That is often what explains a product changing grade with an unchanged recipe: the composition did not move, the way of assessing it did.
What Nutri-Score says nothing about: price, additives, pesticide residues, degree of processing, origin of ingredients, production conditions, or the quantity you actually eat. A grade A product is not automatically local, organic, minimally processed or cheap. Conversely, a grade D product can have its place, occasionally and in small amounts, in a balanced diet.
It is built for comparing, not for judging
The letter is not a verdict on a food. It earns its keep when you compare products that do the same job.
Between brands of the same product. Bolognese lasagne can be graded A, B, C or D depending on its composition: the label makes the gap between references on the same shelf visible at a glance. The same goes for cereals, sliced bread, soups, pizzas, sauces and yoghurts.
Between foods eaten on the same occasion. For dessert, the choice is between a fruit yoghurt, a dairy dessert and a chocolate mousse. For an afternoon snack, between fruit purées, biscuits or cereal products. That is more useful than comparing two foods with neither the same use nor the same place in a meal.
Then comes the price per kilo and the pack size. A better graded product sold in too large a pack ends up in the bin; a slightly dearer reference can be the right call if its quantity matches what the household needs.
Why grade A is rare on some shelves
A product graded B or C is not a bad choice: in several categories, A is rare or simply out of reach. The benchmarks published by Santé publique France:
- Oils: B is the best possible score for some oils, notably olive, rapeseed and walnut.
- Starchy foods: wholegrain versions, rich in fibre, are often graded A or B.
- Milk: skimmed and semi-skimmed are graded B, whole milk C.
- Yoghurts and dairy desserts: yoghurts range from A to C; the best a dairy dessert can reach is C.
- Fish: lean fish and some oily fish rich in omega 3 can reach A.
- Drinks: water is the only drink graded A.
Hunting only for grade A would mean ruling out, for no good reason, foods that sit perfectly well in a varied diet. Oil, cheese and some fish bring useful nutrients, in suitable amounts. The letter is read in the context of the meal, not on its own.
What the new calculation changes in the aisles
The new method separates near neighbours more sharply. Foods rich in fibre are rewarded more: wholemeal bread is generally graded A or B, white bread more often C. Very sweet and very salty foods are judged more harshly.
Drinks containing sweeteners are also graded lower than before: "light" sodas, once capable of a B, now sit between C and E. The message is simple: water remains the everyday drink of reference.
Six habits that keep the budget in check
- Plan the meals first. Work out which meals you need, how many people will be there, and what is already in the cupboard. A well graded product with no place in the menu ends up thrown away, and food thrown away is money spent.
- Only compare what you need. If the menu calls for soup, compare soups. There is no point walking the whole shop looking for the best letters.
- Read the ingredient list. Nutri-Score complements the label, it does not replace it.
- Check the price per kilo or litre. A misleading pack or an unusual format distorts the comparison fast, and a promotion is not always cheaper than an own brand at its normal price.
- Pick the right pack size. A large pack only pays off if it is entirely eaten. When attendance varies through the week, a smaller pack or a product that portions easily often works out cheaper despite a higher price per kilo.
- Look at the balance of the week. A family menu does not have to be built solely from A and B. A grade D cheese, an indulgent dessert or the occasional charcuterie belong there too, as long as the amounts and the frequency stay reasonable.
With GustoPlan, Nutri-Score finds its proper place
Nutri-Score helps you choose between products. It does not decide your meals, work out quantities, or know what is already sitting in your cupboards.
GustoPlan works upstream: recipes match the household profile, the number of people, preferences and dietary constraints. The ingredients you need are gathered into a shopping list with the right quantities, no more and no less, sorted by aisle.
You keep control of the basket: for every packaged item, you pick the brand, the quality, the Nutri-Score and the price that suit you. Every product has a destination, quantities match the meals, and a single ingredient can serve several recipes.
Nutri-Score then becomes what it should be: a practical comparison tool inside a wider plan. You work out what you need first, then choose, on the shelf, the reference that strikes the best balance between nutrition, quality, price and family preferences.