Investor engagement continues with U.S. Spotlight Index Investor Meeting in New York

On Monday 19th November, ATNF was hosted by Alliance Bernstein at their New York offices to present a summary of the first U.S. Access to Nutrition Index results. Alexia Howard, Bernstein’s Senior Analyst for the US Food sector introduced the session. It was attended by Arisaig Partners (Asia), UBS Asset Management, Rabobank, Tourbillon Capital, MEAG Munich Ergo Asset Management and Trinity Health, along with ICCR and others.

ATNF’s Senior Advisor, Rachel Crossley, presented the overall Index results, in which Nestlé came top of the Corporate Profile with a score of 5.3 out of 10, but focused particularly on the results of the U.S. Product Profile, led by ConAgra, with a score of 5.8 out of 10.

The session was lively, with participants asking questions throughout, about, among other topics: various dimensions of the Health Star Rating system, one of the two nutrient profiling models used to undertake the analysis; how the results of the Corporate Profile and the Product Profile relate; how nutrient profiling of individual products can and should be linked to overall dietary guidelines; whether ATNF intends to expand its Indexes to the retail and out-of-home sectors, and how a conversation can be facilitated between the retailers and manufacturers to address the pricing and distribution of healthier products; the need for companies to be given ‘breathing space’ by investors to make substantial changes to their portfolios (rather than being put under pressure to produce results on a quarterly basis, as is commonly the case).