Front-of-Pack Systems, Decoded.
Three systems on the front of UK and European food packs. Traffic lights. Reference Intakes. Nutri-Score. Each tells you something different. Each has its own thresholds and its own caveats. Decoded by system. Free. Open. No paywall.
UK front-of-pack labelling is voluntary — the FSA encourages it but doesn't legally mandate any one system. Most UK retailers display traffic lights with Reference Intakes underneath. Nutri-Score is European and not officially adopted in the UK; products carrying it are usually sold across multiple markets. Each system is designed to compress a complex back-of-pack table into something a shopper can read in two seconds — understanding what each one compresses, and what it doesn't, is the literacy unlock.
Methodology · Sources · Caveats
Why this matters. The front of a food pack is the smallest amount of label real estate doing the largest amount of decision work. Three systems cover the field in the UK and Europe today. Each summarises different information. Reading them as the regulators set out reveals what each one is actually saying.
Traffic lights (UK FSA). Voluntary, recommended by the FSA, used by every major UK retailer. Per-100g (with per-portion alongside) red/amber/green dots for fat, saturates, sugars, salt. Thresholds set by the FSA in consultation with industry. The colours follow a Codex-style high/medium/low logic.
Reference Intakes (RI, formerly GDA). Voluntary, retained EU framework. Shows what percentage of an average adult's daily intake the portion contributes. The legacy 2,000 kcal adult is the calibration point; men, women, and children all sit at different intakes from that figure.
Nutri-Score. A French-developed A–E grade, voluntary, not officially adopted in the UK. Recent algorithm revisions in 2023–24 tightened the system on red meat, dairy, and certain processed foods. Used by some UK-sold European brands.
Per 100g vs per portion. The per-100g column lets you compare any two products. The per-portion column depends on what the manufacturer chose to call a portion — portion sizes are not standardised across UK food categories.
Sources. UK Food Standards Agency front-of-pack labelling guide; retained EU Regulation 1169/2011 Annex XIII; Santé publique France (Nutri-Score); EU Commission front-of-pack labelling consultation; FSA Northern Ireland; Food Standards Scotland.
Verdicts. Worth flagging — potential confusion or interpretation point that materially affects how you read the label. Worth knowing — useful context. Standard reference — how the system normally works.
Why this is free. Per SCANSMART's Belongs-to-Everyone Rule.
Sources
- UK Food Standards Agency — voluntary front-of-pack guide; per-100g thresholds for fat, saturates, sugars, salt
- Retained EU Regulation 1169/2011 — nutrition declaration (Annex XIII); permitted reference intakes
- Santé publique France — Nutri-Score algorithm and 2023/2024 update notes
- European Commission — front-of-pack consultation outputs
- WHO Europe — nutrient profiling reviews
UK front-of-pack remains voluntary as of May 2026. UK consultation on a single mandatory system has been periodic but no mandatory regime has been introduced.
Where this reference connects.
For deeper evidence-vault treatment connecting this reference to the SCANSMART analytical framework, see: Impulse Buying Triggers (NPM-based HFSS placement and front-of-pack interactions) · Food Marketing to Kids · Brand vs Manufacturer · Reformulation Tracking · Cultural Food Myths · Global Staple Foods · Dietary Patterns · Carbohydrate Types · Caffeine and Health · Industry Funding Bias in Nutrition Research · UPF Brain & Cognitive Claims · Children’s Oral Health · Behaviour Change & Decision-Point Capture.
Reference-format consistency pass · 11 May 2026 · Stale-date reminder: re-check after next NPM consultation, Nutri-Score implementation updates, and June 2026 FSA Board meeting (Future of Food Regulation detailed workplan) · SCANSMART is a food literacy and decision-support platform. It is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice.