EC Nutrition

Introduction and Methodology: In response to criticisms and recognised limitations of the Nutri-Score Nutrient Profiling Model (NS-NPM), the algorithm was revised in December 2023. This study compared the nutritional classification of kombucha beverages using the original and revised NS-NPM algorithms based on global data from the Open Food Facts Foundation database. Kombucha products recorded in the Open Food Facts database were analysed using datasets from April 2023 and April 2026. Products evaluated under the original and revised Nutri-Score algorithms were identified and compared. To distinguish the effect of the algorithm revision from that of product reformulation, a subset of 775 products with identical nutritional composition was re-evaluated using both algorithms.

Results: In the April 2023 database, 1,463 of 2,673 kombucha products were evaluated using the original Nutri-Score algorithm, with 57% classified as Nutri-Score A/B/C and 43% as D/E. In the April 2026 database, 1,971 of 3,928 products were evaluated using the revised NS-NPM algorithm, of which 93% were classified as A/B/C and only 7% as D/E. Re-evaluation of the 775 nutritionally identical products showed that the proportion classified as A/B/C increased from 54% to 92%, indicating that this improvement was primarily attributable to the revised algorithm rather than to product reformulation.

Conclusion: Although the revised NS-NPM did not introduce criteria specifically designed for hybrid beverages such as kombucha, it established new distinctions between sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened drinks. These revised sugar thresholds substantially improved the Nutri-Score classification of kombucha products. The findings demonstrate that changes in nutrient profiling algorithms can markedly alter product ratings without any modification in nutritional composition. This has important implications not only for product reformulation and consumer beverage choices, but also for consumer confidence in front-of-pack nutrition labelling and the credibility of food-rating platforms.

Keywords: Kombucha; Hybrid Fermented Tea Beverage; Probiotic Beverage; Nutri-Score Food Classification

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