The EU should move on from ‘outdated’ debates over front-of-pack labelling and instead focus on tailor-made technological solutions for the future of nutrition, experts told a recent panel – but critics say this privileges only the richest in society.

The European Commission is expected to put forward its proposal for an EU-wide nutritional labelling system in early 2023.

The current front runner is the Nutriscore, a controversial colour-coded system championed by France which ranks food from A to E. The score has proven divisive, especially among stakeholders in Europe’s South, who argue the score penalises the Mediterranean diet.

But, for Pietro Paganini, co-founder of the EU think-tank Competere, the debate is redundant. Instead, efforts should focus on technological developments and personalised diets rather than ‘old outdated system[s]’ such as front-of-pack nutritional labelling.

“We keep saying the problem is food, [but] the problem is how we eat. That’s why we need more education, and we need systems that are actually considering our lifestyle,” he stressed during a panel discussion on Tuesday (29 November).