In the ground-breaking Materiality of Nutrition report, ATNi and Planet Tracker build the business case for investment in nutrition. It analyses 20 of the largest global food manufacturers and compares the healthiness of their food product portfolios with their profits and market valuations. 

The report finds an association between companies with healthier food product portfolios and higher profitability in comparison to their unhealthy peers, creating opportunities for investors. However, poor disclosure and a general lack of information observed constitutes a risk for investors and makes definitive conclusions difficult – indicating a need for greater study and analysis. 

Building on this work, ATNi is helping drive nutrition-sensitive financing into the heart of capital markets by demanding transparent disclosures on the healthiness of food product portfolios from food companies. Nutrition is increasingly seen as a financially material issue by investors, many who have recently made systemic changes to the way they invest in food companies due to ATNi’s work.  

Materiality of Nutrition Report

Malnutrition is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with long-term impacts on health, productivity, and economic development. It affects both undernourished and overnourished populations and traps communities in cycles of poverty.

Businesses have a vital role to play in improving nutrition, both within their workforces and in the wider community. Yet despite the scale of the problem, the costs of malnutrition to business have gone largely unrecognized.

This report by Chatham House is the first to quantify those hidden costs, revealing that malnutrition-related productivity losses cost businesses in low- and middle-income countries up to $850 billion annually. Even this figure likely underestimates the true impact. Investing in nutrition is not just a social good—it is a smart business strategy.

The Business Case for Investment in Nutrition

ATNi’s Investor Expectations were published in July 2020, following consultations with institutional investors. They are a framework to interpret ATNi’s indexes to support greater investor engagement with companies to address global nutrition challenges and deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Signatories to the Investor Expectations will have access to the Investor portal – a password-protected nutrition and finance resource hub – and ATNi’s expertise and support for their research and engagement. 

If you are interested in becoming a signatory and pledging your support for ATNi’s work, please contact investor.support@atni.org. There is no fee, and no reporting requirements associated with becoming a signatory. 

ATNi Investor Expectations
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Institutional investors can play a significant role in shaping food and beverage companies’ nutrition governance, strategy, and disclosure. As nutrition becomes more integrated into responsible and sustainable investment analysis, investors are increasingly assessing companies’ product portfolios and their performance in addressing global nutrition challenges.

Growing investor interest in the nutrition agenda  and the heightened scrutiny of corporate practices are prompting companies to show greater positive impact on the nutritional well-being of their workforces and wider stakeholders. By leveraging this influence, investors can play a pivotal role in advancing the global nutrition agenda.

The report Institutional Investors’ Approaches to Addressing Nutrition, Diets, and Health by ATNI highlights the pivotal role institutional investors, as providers of finance to the private sector, can play in tackling global nutrition challenges—particularly in support of SDG 2: Zero Hunger and SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

Investor Approaches to Nutrition

Following the Global Indexes in 2016 and 2018, ATNi facilitated collaborative investor engagements.

In 2020, ATNi received funding from the FCDO to establish a Secretariat function for its Investors in Nutrition and Health platform. This enabled the organization to dedicate more resources to supporting investors and advancing collaborative investor engagement.

This report analyzes the collaborative investor engagement that followed the Global Index 2021 and the U.S. Index 2022, while also comparing these outcomes with those from previous engagements.

Although the focus of this report is the collaborative investor engagement led by the ATNi Investor Support team, it is important to note that this work complements ATNi’s direct engagement with companies—both during the research phase and in follow-up discussions after Index launches.

ATNi is currently facilitating collaborative engagement based on its 2024 Global Index. 

Collaborate Engagement report

ATNi has been actively working to integrate nutrition into ESG frameworks and regulations globally. In India, we have spent the past two years building the case for incorporating workforce nutrition into the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) framework. We are encouraged by the positive response from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which oversees these regulations.

Additionally, we have engaged with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) on its draft standards for the processed food and beverage sector. We were pleased to see our recommendations on the use of Nutrient Profiling Models reflected in the recent exposure draft.

We believe that achievements like these are critical to ensuring that nutrition and health become integral components of global ESG reporting.

Nourishing ESG in Emerging Markets

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