ATNi’s Response to Nestlé’s New Nutrition Targets
29 September 2023Yesterday, Nestlé announced new nutrition targets. The Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNi) welcomes new targets from the food industry which aim to improve the healthiness of product portfolios. We support Nestlé’s use of an independent internationally recognized nutrient profile model (in this case the Health Star Rating or HSR) for measuring and reporting on progress in the healthiness of its portfolio.
However, as ATNi wrote in March 2023, we had hoped for a specific, measurable and proportional target for all Nestlé food products. This newly announced target falls short.
The company aims to grow the sales from healthier products by 2030 by 50%, compared to 2022 sales. If sales of unhealthier products grow at a similar rate, the overall healthiness of Nestlé’s portfolio will not improve. The company does not specify how far its new target will be achieved through its regular food and beverage products (classified as ‘daily goodness’ products by the company). Further, the announcement does not specify what developments the company foresees for less healthy product categories (classified by the company as ‘occasional indulgence’ and ‘mindful enjoyment’ products).
As per ATNi‘s new strategy, we want to see all food and beverage manufacturers evolve their product portfolios so that at least 50% of sales come from products that meet healthy thresholds by 2030.
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ATNi encourages Nestlé to set clear and measurable targets to increase the percentage of regular food and beverage products with an HSR of 3.5 or above, to increase overall sales derived from these healthy products, and to regularly report progress. Nestlé reported that 37% of their sales in 2022 came from ‘daily goodness’ products which met that threshold. ATNi recommends that Nestlé add a specific growth target for their ‘daily goodness’ products (as a percentage of sales from products with an HSR of 3.5 or above) and that it aims for at least 50% of its total sales to be derived from healthy food products by 2030.
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Also, earlier this year Nestlé announced that as of July 2023 it restricts marketing of selected product categories (like biscuits, confectionery and ice-cream) to children under the age of 16, which is a major step forward. But this policy does not yet apply to all product categories sold by the company. Yesterday, Nestlé added that it will strengthen its responsible marketing of indulgent products. ATNi looks forward to measuring progress against this commitment. ATNi wants to see food companies never target children younger than 18 years of age with any marketing related to unhealthy foods, nor to promote products with a low health profile rating to children of any age, as per guidelines set by WHO and UNICEF.
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Apart from asking the company to be more specific about it’s target for healthier products ATNi asks Nestlé to use the appropriate WHO Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model to assess the healthiness of its baby foods for older infants and young children 6 up to 36 months of age. The WHO NPPM is the first and only existing globally recognized nutrient profiling model for baby foods. The HSR model is not designed and intended to assess baby foods which have specific nutritional requirements. ATNi wants to see food companies following the NPPM requirements and guidance for improved formulation of baby foods in line with its nutritional criteria, and responsible messaging on these products.
ATNi is currently assessing the 6 largest baby food manufacturers globally, including Nestlé, in 10 countries, using WHO’s NPPM. Stay tuned for the research coming out later this year!
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Lastly, ATNi welcomes Nestlé’s announcements to expand micronutrient fortification opportunities and affordable offerings. ATNi looks forward to seeing specific and measurable targets from Nestlé related to fortification and affordability and tracking progress against these.