Is Nutri-Score About to Become Mandatory in France? What's Changing

🥗 Radish · 6 min

That little A-to-E logo showing up on more and more packaging isn't always where you'd expect it — and for good reason: in France today, displaying it is entirely up to the brand. Since late 2025, several bills have tried to make it mandatory for everyone.

Here's where the law stands in mid-2026, what got voted then knocked back down, and what that would actually change at the supermarket.

Nutri-Score: a voluntary label since 2017

Nutri-Score ranks foods from A to E based on nutritional quality — if you want the full breakdown of the calculation, our complete Nutri-Score guide covers it in 10 seconds. Since an interministerial decree of 31 October 2017, displaying it on packaging has rested on voluntary adoption by companies: no law today forces a brand to carry it.

According to Santé publique France, around 1,359 brands had adopted the logo by early 2024 under this voluntary scheme, representing 58% of food sales volumes in 2022. That's broad adoption — but it still leaves part of the market out, and often not at random: the lowest-scoring products also have the least incentive to display it.

Late 2025: a vote for mandatory display, then a rejection by three votes

On 7 November 2025, during debate on the 2026 Social Security financing bill (PLFSS), deputies at the National Assembly adopted, on first reading, an amendment making Nutri-Score display mandatory, with an exception planned for products carrying a quality label (PDO, AOC, PGI). In a 2020 survey, 89% of French respondents said they'd support making Nutri-Score mandatory (Santé publique France survey, 1,001 respondents).

But the measure didn't survive to the end of the process: after an unfavourable Senate vote on 21 November 2025, the National Assembly rejected the corresponding article on 4 December 2025 — by just three votes. In practical terms: as of today, Nutri-Score display remains voluntary in France.

2026: the debate picks back up

December 2025's setback didn't close the subject. A new bill aiming to make display mandatory was filed at the National Assembly on 27 March 2026 (bill n°2599), currently referred to the Social Affairs Committee, according to the National Assembly's official page.

On 27 May 2026, a citizen petition calling for mandatory Nutri-Score also picked up unusual institutional backing: the Académie nationale de médecine, 45 professional/scientific health societies, and 33 consumer and patient associations joined it, gathering around 57,000 signatures. In short: the momentum is real, but nothing has been adopted as of this writing.

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A separate matter, not to be confused: the new algorithm

While the mandatory-display debate moves at its own pace, one change is already settled: the Nutri-Score calculation method was revised by the international scientific committee that oversees the tool, with regulatory adoption finalised at the end of 2023 and a progressive rollout since. Companies get a two-year window after the coordinated rollout date to update their packaging, according to Santé publique France.

As a result, between 30% and 40% of products change letter grade, according to mangerbouger.fr: oils rich in healthy fats, wholegrain products high in fibre, and some fatty fish score better than before, while sweetened drinks using artificial sweeteners are now penalised much like sugary ones. So this isn't the same thing as the mandatory-display push: here, it's the scoring rules that move, not whether the logo appears at all.

What mandatory display would actually change for you

Today, a product missing a Nutri-Score doesn't tell you much on its own: the brand simply chose not to display it, which is neither banned nor penalised. If the obligation eventually passes, the real difference would be consistency: fewer gaps on the shelf, and so a more reliable comparison between products in the same category, without having to guess why one item shows nothing. Until then, the reflex stays the same: check the letter when it's there, compare like with like, and don't stop at the logo for everything else.

Nutri-Score: Radish already shows it

No need to wait for the law: in Radish, every food already displays its Nutri-Score alongside its calories and nutritional values, sourced from official databases. The app runs counting without a connection, with no account and no ads: nothing you eat is sent or sold.

General information, not medical or legal advice. Accurate as of 17 July 2026, subject to change as new bills are voted on.

FAQ

Is Nutri-Score mandatory in France in 2026?

Not yet. Display remains voluntary. An amendment making it mandatory was passed by the National Assembly on 7 November 2025, then rejected on 4 December 2025 after an unfavourable Senate vote. New bills have been under discussion since 2026.

Why do some brands not display the Nutri-Score?

Because nothing forces them to: it has been a voluntary choice since 2017. Lower-scoring products often have less incentive to display it, which doesn't mean they're unsafe — just that comparison becomes harder without the logo.

Does the new Nutri-Score algorithm change products' scores?

Yes. The calculation method was revised, adopted at the end of 2023 and rolled out progressively with a two-year window for companies. Between 30% and 40% of products change letter grade, with better scores for healthy fats and wholegrain products, and worse ones for sweetened drinks.

Does Radish show the Nutri-Score?

Yes, on every food, sourced from official databases, for free and offline.

The short version: Nutri-Score remains voluntary in France as of mid-2026, despite a favourable vote followed by a three-vote rejection in late 2025, and fresh legislative attempts under way. While the law gets sorted out, Radish already shows it to you on every food, for free, without selling your data.

General information, not medical or legal advice.

🔎 Methodology & sources. Every nutrition figure in this article is cross-checked against official sources (ANSES, EFSA, WHO, CIQUAL/USDA, French Public Health agency), and health topics are reviewed before publication against our internal reference framework. See our full methodology →