A recent study from researchers at the University of Granada, published in the journal NPJ Science of Food, has re-evaluated the nutritional standing of cocoa, asserting its higher nutritional value despite its lower ranking in the European Nutri-Score system. This system evaluates food items based on a color-coded score from 'A' to 'E', which takes into account factors such as sugar content, saturated fats, salt, and calories while balancing it against positive attributes such as fiber, protein, and the presence of fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

The simplicity and user-friendliness of the Nutri-Score system have been called into question by this study, which highlights that it may not accurately reflect the true nutritional quality of complex foods rich in active healthy compounds. Cocoa, which is often criticized within this scoring framework, is shown by the Granada study to contain numerous health benefits that are overlooked within the conventional scoring approach, prompting calls for reevaluation of how such food items are classified and understood.

By employing advanced untargeted metabolomics techniques, the researchers analyzed 54 cocoa products from 19 different brands, revealing rich insight into the nutritional composition of cocoa. The findings suggest that the existing rating system could mislead consumers about the healthfulness of cocoa products, indicating a significant need to reassess nutritional evaluations in line with more nuanced scientific understandings of food composition, particularly for complex foods like cocoa that contain beneficial compounds.