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Ecrit par Pénélope Aknine
Food labels, environmental certifications and CSR scoring: How to make sense of it all?
Between the organic label, the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), fair trade such as Fairtrade, High Environmental Value (HEV), and the Nutri-Score, the agri-food sector is multiplying references and certifications.
Each one addresses a specific objective: environmental impact, geographical origin, agricultural practices, social equity, or nutritional quality. However, none of these labels alone covers all the strategic criteria necessary for a comprehensive supplier selection: overall CSR performance, operational reliability, traceability, regulatory compliance, economic competitiveness, or supply chain resilience.
This diversity, a reflection of the complexity of agricultural and food issues, makes it difficult for purchasing and quality management to interpret. Relying solely on a label can lead to a partial, or even biased, view of a supplier's profile.
From then on, how can one structure a relevant and objective selection in such a fragmented environment? This is where agri-food scoring emerges as a strategic tool: not to replace labels, but to integrate them into a comprehensive, multi-criteria assessment aligned with the company's priorities.
Key takeaways
- Food labels = partial indicators: Organic, PDO, HVE, Fairtrade, Nutri-Score, practices: environment, origin, equity, nutrition and limits: overall performance, logistics, finances, resilience
- Agri-food scoring: global method: Integrates labels, operational performance, CSR, finances, unique score, objective comparison, radar chart, barometer, table
- Advantages of Scoring: comprehensive view, prioritisation of suppliers, informed decision-making, environmental, social, and operational criteria
Overview of the main sector labels
Production and agricultural practices
The labelAB (Organic Agriculture)strictly regulates inputs, prohibits GMOs, and imposes agricultural practices that respect soils and living organisms.
The certificationHigh Environmental Valuetakes a more comprehensive approach at the farm level: biodiversity, water management, limitation of phytosanitary products.
These systems evaluate the way of producing.
Territorial anchoring and know-how
The labels Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication enhance a territory and a tradition.
They guarantee geographical traceability and a precise specification, but do not necessarily include strong environmental requirements.
Their primary objective is the protection of a food heritage.
Economic justice in the supply chains
Fair trade, particularly throughFairtrade, regulates the remuneration of producers and certain working conditions.
It mainly impacts the economic balance of agricultural supply chains, especially in international supply chains.
L’angle est social et commercial.
Nutritional information
TheNutri-Scoreclassifies products according to their nutritional quality.
It contributes to public health issues, without integrating environmental criteria.
It informs about composition, not about overall impact.
Complementary but limited labels
Useful benchmarks for evaluating certain dimensions of a supplier
Agri-food labels play a structuring role in the sector. They provide a framework, reassure consumers, and give buyers initial indicators of compliance.
For purchasing departments, these certifications therefore represent:
a signal of regulatory or sectoral compliance
an indicator of CSR commitment
a lever for commercial differentiation
a criterion for supplier prequalification
They allow for an initial sorting and identification of specific commitments.
What is an agri-food label?
An agri-food label, according to the French Rural Code, refers to an indication that "certifies that a food product or an unprocessed non-food agricultural product possesses a distinct set of specific qualities and characteristics previously established in a specifications document and establishing a superior level of quality" compared to usual products.
A partial vision insufficient for a strategic decision
If these labels are useful, they remain focused on only one dimension at a time. None offer a comprehensive assessment that integrates all the strategic criteria necessary for a complete supplier selection.
However, choosing an agri-food partner also involves analyzing:
financial strength
logistical reliability and adherence to deadlines
the management of health and regulatory risks
the traceability of the supply chain
the capacity for adaptation and innovation
resilience in the face of crises
A supplier can be certified environmentally while presenting operational weaknesses. Conversely, an industrially performing player may not have visible labels without this indicating a lack of quality.
Labels are thereforevalidation tools, but not tools for overall management or multi-criteria comparison between suppliers.
Cette complémentarité — mais aussi ces limites — apparaissent clairement lorsqu’on les analyse côte à côte.
Tableau comparatif des principaux labels agroalimentaires
XXX
XXX
XXX
Label | Strengths | Limitations for supplier selection |
AOP | ✔Guaranteed geographical origin | ✖No overall environmental assessment |
HVE | ✔Structured environmental commitment | ✖No social criteria |
Fairtrade | ✔Framed social criteria | ✖No industrial analysis |
Nutri-Score | ✔Clear nutritional information | ✖Does not concern the company's performance ✖No overall CSR indicator ✖No economic or operational criteria |
3. Relevance of Scoring for Agri-food Companies:
towards a more comprehensive and structured supplier evaluation
How can Scoring benefit agri-food companies?
The agri-food scoring is a multi-criteria evaluation method that allows for a comprehensive and objective analysis of a supplier. While labels each focus on a specific aspect, such as organic, origin, fairness, or nutrition, scoring combines these indicators and puts them in perspective with other strategic criteria.
Specifically, a scoring can integrate:
Product quality and safety: regulatory compliance, traceability, certifications.
Operational performance: adherence to deadlines, logistical reliability, innovation capacity.
CSR and environmental impact: sustainable practices, social conditions, trade equity.
Economic solidity and risk management: financial health, contractual stability, resilience to crises.
Each criterion is weighted according to the company's priorities, to produce aunique overall score, comparable between suppliers. This can be illustrated by aradar chartor aperformance barometer, which allows for a quick visualization of the strengths and weaknesses of each partner.
Practical tip: some companies incorporate public data or internal audits into the Scoring, which allows for cross-referencing labels, operational performance, and CSR commitment to obtain a complete and reliable view.
The benefits of Scoring for supplier selection
Scoring has many advantages over an approach based solely on labels. It allows for the integration of existing certifications without being limited to them, while providing anobjective comparisonbetween different suppliers. With this overall score, it becomes possible to prioritize partners according to multiple criteria, weigh their importance according to the company's strategy, and make decisions based on reliable data rather than impressions or partial benchmarks.
Furthermore, Scoring facilitates the anticipation of risks and the strengthening of supply chain resilience byidentifying the strongest suppliers that are best suited to operational and strategic needs.
By combining a global vision, objectivity, and strategic management, agri-food scoring becomes an essential tool for selecting high-performing, responsible suppliers that align with the company's long-term objectives.
Labels verify certain practices (organic, origin, fairness) but focus on a single aspect. They do not provide a complete assessment of the supplier or their overall performance.
It is a multi-criteria method that combines labels, performance, CSR, and finances to provide an overall score for suppliers.
Scoring offers a comprehensive view of suppliers, facilitates comparison and prioritization, and allows for data-driven decision-making.
Labels are used as indicators on certain criteria, such as environmental or social aspects. They are then combined with other operational and financial data to produce a reliable overall score.