Methodology

How the Nourisk score works

Every Nourisk score is derived from public data with a published formula. No black boxes, no paid rankings — just a simple, transparent number from 0 to 100.

Nourisk combines two signals from Open Food Facts into one 0–100 score. This is a simple MVP designed to guide everyday choices — not a medical or official EU rating.

1. Nutri-Score → base points

We map the public Nutri-Score letter (A–E) to fixed base points:

  • A → 95
  • B → 80
  • C → 55
  • D → 30
  • E → 10

If no Nutri-Score is stored for the product, we use 55 points (the same as a default “C”) so the score still reflects additives.

2. Additives → penalty

We count additive tags from Open Food Facts (E-numbers and similar). Each additive subtracts 5 points, up to a maximum total penalty of 30 points.

3. Final score

final = base − additive penalty, rounded to a whole number and clamped between 0 and 100. The colour band (green / orange / red) is a visual guide only — the number itself is what matters.

What we don't (yet) include

  • Ultra-processed food classification (NOVA) as a standalone penalty.
  • Individual nutrient context per serving size.
  • Personalised scoring based on your diet or allergies.

These are on the roadmap.

Limits & honesty

Open Food Facts is community-maintained; data can be missing or outdated. Nutri-Score on packaging may occasionally differ from the database value. Always check the real label for allergies and medical diets.