What is the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM), and what are A points and C points?

Question

Accepted Answer

First, what HFSS means HFSS stands for high in fat, sugar or salt. In the UK, HFSS products face restrictions. For example, in England, larger shops can't place them at checkouts, store entrances or the ends of aisles, and there are limits on how they can be advertised. Whether a product counts as HFSS is decided by a scoring system called the Nutrient Profiling Model, or NPM. Canoli calculates your NPM score for you. How the score works - A points are for the things to limit: energy, saturated fat, sugar and sodium (salt). The more you have, the more points you get. - C points are for the good things: fruit, vegetables and nuts, fibre and protein. These take points away. - Your score is A points minus C points. For food, a score of 4 or more means the product counts as HFSS. For drinks, it's 1 or more. An example Say your granola bar gets 8 A points, mostly from sugar and saturated fat, and 3 C points from fibre and protein. 8 minus 3 is 5, so it counts as HFSS. Bring the sugar down enough to lose two A points, or add enough fibre to earn more C points, and you get under 4. One catch: if your A points are 11 or more, your protein points don't count, unless you also score the full 5 points for fruit, vegetables and nuts. That's why very sweet or fatty products can't get out of HFSS just by adding protein. Two versions of the model There are two versions of the model: - 2004/05 model: the one currently used in law. - 2018 model: an updated version. The government has said it plans to consult on moving the HFSS rules over to it. The two models score some nutrients differently. The 2018 model counts free sugars (sugars added to food, plus the sugars in honey, syrups and fruit juice) instead of total sugars, and is stricter on them. It also uses salt instead of sodium, gives more points for fibre, and uses a lower daily energy reference (2,000 kcal instead of 2,130 kcal). So a product can pass on the 2004/05 model but count as HFSS on the 2018 one. Sweetened yoghurts, juices and some cereals are the products most likely to be affected. Checking both now helps you plan ahead. The restrictions don't apply to every product or every business. They depend on your product category and the size of your business, which Canoli doesn't check. Canoli gives you the NPM score and result. Check whether your product category is in scope. Canoli scores your recipe on both models as you build it, so you can plan ahead. For more detailed instructions on how to read your NPM score in Canoli, subscribe to one of Canoli’s subscription tiers here, and you’ll be able to access our dedicated help pages. Sources - Nutrient profiling model 2004 to 2005: technical guidance, GOV.UK - The 2018 review of the UK Nutrient Profiling Model, Annex A, GOV.UK - Applying an updated Nutrient Profiling Model to promotions and advertising: impact assessment, GOV.UK - Less healthy food or drink: advertising and promotions restrictions, GOV.UK