In 2008, the Choices International Foundation developed its logo criteria, identifying best-in-class food products. More advanced, global and graded nutrient profiling systems (NPSs) are needed to substantiate different national nutrition policies. The objective of this work was to extend Choices NPS to identify five levels of the healthiness of food products, so that the Choices NPS can also be used to support other nutrition policies, next to front-of-pack labelling. Based on the same principles as the previous logo criteria, four sets of threshold criteria were determined using a combination of compliance levels, calculated from a large international food group-specific database, the Choices logo criteria, and WHO-NPSs developed to restrict marketing to children. Validation consisted of a comparison with indicator foods from food-based dietary guidelines from various countries. Some thresholds were adjusted after the validation, e.g., because intermediate thresholds were too lenient. This resulted in a new international NPS that can be applied to different contexts and to support a variety of health policies, to prevent both undernutrition and obesity. It can efficiently evaluate mixed food products and represents a flexible tool, applicable in various settings and populations.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in compounds with health-promoting effects, such as vitamins. Nevertheless, no previous research has simultaneously considered the factors affecting vitamins’ bioavailability, namely the actual amount absorbed and the health effect, and thus the health benefits that can be claimed. Therefore, in this study, we conducted a critical appraisal by presenting the theory and body of evidence on the bioavailability and legislation of vitamins C, B2, and B9. After a thorough review of the evidence, we observed that bioavailability is a complex concept for the three vitamins analysed. The characterisation of such vitamins in regulations and by general knowledge seems oversimplified. Also, measurement protocols should be detailed and focus on the bioactive forms in humans. The way vitamins are characterised and measured has implications for the use of nutrition and health claims. A better understanding of what each vitamin compound comprises is needed for decision-makers and users, as such insights would help harmonise what is measured in the laboratory, regulated by EU law, and taken up in our cells. Graphical Abstract