Eating is a rewarding and engaging experience that combines taste, interpersonal relationships, culture, tradition and well-being. It is therefore not appropriate to reduce it to a mere intake of calories and nutrients, warning consumers with danger warnings or negative messages. This is what emerged during the conference on “Positive Nutrition”, promoted by the Italian Embassy in Switzerland and the ICE Agency of Bern, at the Bellevue Palace in Bern. For the occasion, the NutrInform Battery was discussed, an innovative tool designed to provide clear and transparent information on the foods and drinks consumed, highlighting the portions recommended by nutritionists and the relative intake of calories, salt, sugars and fats to follow a correct diet. Unlike other labelling systems, NutrInform does not aim to dissuade citizens from consuming certain foods, but to encourage a balanced diet in its entirety.

The meeting, moderated by the director of Cambridge Food Science Roberta Re , opened with a speech by the Italian Ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado , who underlined the importance of correctness and transparency in information campaigns on dietary habits, recalling how the NutrInform Battery offers only objective data and not arbitrary interpretations: “Unlike the Nutriscore and other traffic light labels, the NutInform Battery does not demonize any food because any food can be part of a balanced diet if consumed in the right portions and frequencies of consumption. I express my sincere thanks to the Meloni Government, to Minister Tajani and to Minister Lollobrigida for their commitment to promoting adequate information and to rejecting any form of denigration of food products”.

The theme of a balanced diet was also taken up by Michele Carruba , honorary president of the Center for Study and Research on Obesity at the University of Milan (CSRO), for whom “the Mediterranean diet is not just a list of tasty foods rich in quality nutrients, but a real lifestyle. It promotes a balance between what you eat, energy intake, physical activity, socialization and mental well-being. This balance, however, is an individual condition. Public health policies and many diets,” concluded the professor, “fail to combat obesity because they adopt a 'one size fits all' approach, ignoring individual diversity and imposing rigid models.”

Senator Mauro Poggia , who previously headed the Department of Security, Employment and Health in Geneva, also spoke in the debate. Poggia said he was sceptical about policies based on the inhibition of consumption of individual nutrients, recalling that "obesity is a problem caused by numerous factors. One of these is certainly nutrition, although genetics, metabolism, lifestyle, psychological condition, and the social, cultural and religious context in which one lives also play a key role". The senator said he was favourably impressed by the approach of the NutrInform Battery compared to the Nutriscore, especially because it provides objective and non-manipulable information. Furthermore, Poggia underlined how the NutrInform Battery is more suited to the times, compared to static product labels which he defined as "obsolete".

Daniela Martini , associate professor at the University of Milan, presented the NutrInform Battery and how its App works, explaining its rationale: “Front-of-pack labeling should guide consumers towards informed choices without risking providing misleading information”. A problem encountered with the Nutriscore, whose indications have often confused consumers. “The NutrInform Battery”, she explained, “aims to educate consumers to ‘build’ their diet taking into account portions, which represent a fundamental element in a balanced dietary model”.

Lorenzo Donini , full professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University La Sapienza in Rome, criticized the approach to nutrition based on restrictions: “Asking someone to abstain from eating something has never worked. We need to shift the narrative from nutrients to diets and healthy lifestyles to take actions that are truly capable of generating significant and lasting changes”. According to Donini, the 'Positive Nutrition' approach is the best, “because it promotes greater consumption of foods typical of the Mediterranean diet and greater education on a healthy lifestyle”.