Why does Yugen have a Nutriscore C?
The Nutri-Score is a nutrition label that converts the nutritional value of products into a simple code consisting of 5 letters, each with its own colour. The algorithm deducts points for sugar content, energy values, fat and sodium. Products receive points for fruit and vegetable content, fibers and proteins.
Yugen Kombucha doesn’t contain protein or fibers so we just receive points for the amount of fruit. But because our kombucha contains 3,8gram of sugar/100ml, we lose a lot of points, even though our sugar content is about a third of regular sodas. The Nutriscore also neglects the source of these calories, organic raw cane sugar, fruit sugars and highly processed high fructose corn syrup all receive the same judgement, even though there are obvious nutritional differences amongst them.
The Nutriscore doesn’t take into consideration that we do not use any artificial or natural sweeteners, aroma’s, extracts, preservatives, concentrates and colors. Other manufacturers are free to use as much of those without losing one point. There are also no extra points for our organic label, healthy acids and our beneficial living cultures.
The Nutriscore has received a lot of criticism since its installment. Yugen Kombucha supports the implementation of easy to understand labels to guide consumers into making healthy food choices. However, simple algorithms don’t take every aspect into consideration and can create misleading information.