An Open Letter calling CEOs to commit to healthier, more sustainable products

Dear Food and Beverage Industry Leader,

We ask for five minutes of your time to read this letter. The health of our people and our planet depend on it.

As you know, October 16th is World Food Day. Leaders in food and nutrition will gather to discuss the state of food and nutrition security. The 2023 FAO SOFI report recently sounded the alarm bell on global hunger and the lack of adequate food or healthy affordable diets. [1] There is a “perfect storm” of events. Food and nutrition is l’ordre du jour, and we’re asking you to take a stand: one that will set a precedent for action and see the Food & Beverage industry commit to promoting healthy and sustainable diets for all.

Meanwhile, preparations are under way for the Nutrition for Growth Summit (N4G) – the flagship international conference on nutrition and opportunity to make new commitments – on March 27-28, 2025.

The time is now.

The Food & Beverage industry has revolutionized what and how we eat. However, there is a flip side. Approximately 70% of the world’s processed foods do not fit in a healthy diet.[2] As their consumption increases, every day, people’s diets are becoming more and more unhealthy. The result is a surge in overnutrition and non-communicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Research puts the direct cost to human health at US$11 trillion. [3] Add environmental and economic costs (e.g. climate change, biodiversity loss, water depletion, lost working days) and the final bill comes in at US$19 trillion.

That’s double the cost of food production itself.

You’re a global business leader. You know these numbers don’t make sense. That’s why we are asking you to take a stand and commit to reversing these trends.