The EFSA Panel mentions that currently, dietary intakes of SFAs, sodium and added/free sugars are above current dietary recommendations, and, conversely, intakes of dietary fibre and potassium are below these recommendations.
These inadequate intakes being associated with adverse health effects, these five nutrients could be included in nutrient profiling models, as well as energy because its reduction is of public health importance.
The Panel also concluded that in food group/category-based nutrient profiling models, total fat could replace energy, while the energy of food groups with low or no fat content may be well accounted for by the inclusion of (added/free) sugars in the model.
Finally, nutrients and non-nutrient components may also be included in nutrient profiles for reasons other than their public health importance to allow for a better discrimination of foods within the same food category.
This draft scientific opinion is open for public consultation until January, 9th 2022. VAB-nutrition may provide its expertise on this topic to support your potential contributions.
Author: C. Bianchi. Nov. 2021
More information: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/news/science-behind-nutrient-profiling-have-your-say