France has formally announced plans for voluntary nutrition labels on food, including proposals for manufacturers to have the option of using traffic-light labels.

The proposals were published as part of a public health bill to be debated in the French Assembly at the start of next year.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

Plans for the traffic light scheme on packaging were first announced earlier this year amid criticism that current labels were poorly displayed and difficult to understand.

“Nutritional information must be clear and I want to make labels on products more comprehensible so that consumers know the impact of what they buy on their health,” said French Health Minister Marisol Touraine.

She said one of the aims of the new scheme was to “reduce social inequalities in terms of access to balanced eating”.

The new labeling code would also be part of the effort to combat obesity. “Obesity has many causes and one of them is inadequate knowledge of the composition of food,” Touraine added.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

The practical workings of the system will be drawn up by the state food protection agency, ANSES.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact