The Index assesses and ranks companies based on their commitments, performance and disclosure practices in seven topic areas (Categories A – Governance, B – Products, C – Accessibility, D – Marketing, E – Lifestyles, F – Labeling, G – Engagement) that together cover three broad sections: i. nutrition governance and management; ii. formulating and delivering appropriate, affordable and accessible products; and, iii. influencing consumer choice and behavior. Importantly, in addition to tracking companies’ contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals, the India Index 2020 methodology has been adapted to cover the most recent developments in the Indian nutrition context, as shown below.

ATNI Indexes have previously included an assessment of the marketing practices of major baby food companies, which are presented as the Breast-milk Substitutes (BMS) ranking. The 2016 BMS marketing assessment in India showed the high standards of the India Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1992 as amended in 2003 (IMS Act) and demonstrated a low number of incidences of non-compliance by companies. Therefore, a BMS marketing assessment was not incorporated in this Index edition.

Certain products and related topics are beyond the scope of this Index:

• Products intended to address acute undernutrition or other special nutrition needs
• Alcoholic beverages
• Products that are a part of a formal weight management program

Other issues that are related to the social and environmental impact of food and beverage companies but are outside the scope of the ATNI Index approach – as other accountability mechanisms cover them – include:

• Water management practices
• Environmental sustainability, including sourcing of ingredients
• Impact on climate change
• Fair treatment of workers and communities
• Crop breeding (e.g. hybridization and genetic modification)

The second iteration of the India Spotlight Index has some important methodology updates, which were necessary in order to incorporate the latest national guidelines, norms and accepted good practices. In addition, feedback from the previous India Spotlight Index 2016 and stakeholders’ roundtables was carefully evaluated. For example, indicators asking about companies’ employee wellbeing policies and practices have been extended in scope to include other actors from across the food supply chain and elements of nutrition literacy have been introduced in Category E.

Overall, the India Index 2020 has less indicators compared to the 2016 edition, reducing emphasis on indicators asking for companies’ non-commercial strategies, policies and practices in order to place more emphasis on their commercial practices.

The most significant change in methodology is the merge of The Corporate Profile and the Product Profile sections. In the previous Index, two separate scores were reported for each element. For this Index, Product Profile results have been incorporated into Category B of the methodology, resulting in one comprehensive score for each of the companies assessed, and one overall ranking. For the Product Profile, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) South East Asia Region (SEAR) Nutrient Profiling model is applied to determine products suitable for marketing to children. The previous Index applied the WHO Regional Office for Europe criteria as the WHO SEAR model was not yet published.

Another important change in methodology is an integrated assessment of the companies’ approaches to addressing the double burden of malnutrition, in contrast to assessing companies’ approaches to undernutrition through a separate section and with specific indicators in .

The 2016 Index assessed what the companies were doing to address the nutrition and health needs of low-income populations, whilst this edition focuses on the needs of population groups at high risk or experiencing malnutrition in all relevant regions in India.

Acknowledging that food safety remains a priority in the country, the Index methodology assesses whether companies have a robust food safety management system and/or food safety certifications. Overall, the Index aims to track food companies’ contributions to national initiatives such as the National Nutrition Strategy, the National Nutrition Mission also known as POSHAN Abhiyaan, and supporting efforts of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Finally, an indicator on food loss and food waste has been introduced, to draw attention to the links between nutrition and food system sustainability. The indicator aims to assess the extent to which the company has mechanisms in place to prevent and reduce food loss and waste in the production process. For more details, access the Methodology document here.