Danone, Unilever and Nestle S.A. are the three best large global companies when it comes to providing access to good nutrition, but overall, the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturers must do more to increase access to nutritious products and positively exercise their influence on consumer choice and behavior, according to the first edition of the global Access to Nutrition Index (A.T.N.I.) issued today.
Developed by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, a non-profit organization, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, the index assesses the nutrition-related commitments, performance and disclosure practices of 25 of the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturers as measured against international guidelines, norms and accepted best practices. Input from governments, international organizations, civil society, academia and investors was used in gathering the data.
Companies were rated on a scale of 0 to 10 based on their nutrition-related commitments, performance and disclosure against seven different weighted categories: governance (12.5%), products (25%), accessibility (20%), marketing (20%), lifestyles (2.5%), labeling (15%), and engagement (5%).
According to the report, a score of 0 indicates that no evidence was found for any nutrition-related commitments or practices and a score of 10 signifies best practices against the current state of knowledge and consensus as reflected by the A.T.N.I. assessment methodology.
Danone, Unilever and Nestle top list
With scores of 6.3, 6.1 and 6.0, respectively, Danone, Unilever and Nestle were the highest ranking companies by a sizeable margin, but the A.T.N.I. report noted that “even their scores demonstrate that there is significant room for improvement.”
“Their strong performance on A.T.N.I. is a reflection of corporate strategies that include explicit commitments to improving nutrition and the corresponding integration of nutrition considerations into their core business activities such as formulating healthier products, making these products affordable and accessible to consumers, and marketing them appropriately,” the A.T.N.I. report noted. “As a result, all three companies are at the top of both the obesity and undernutrition sub-rankings, and they consistently perform at or near the top in almost all areas assessed by A.T.N.I.”
Danone and Nestle fell short in the marketing of breast-milk substitutes, the report said.
“Their reported lack of compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk substitutes is a significant concern,” the A.T.N.I. report said.
Ranking just below Danone, Unilever and Nestle were PepsiCo, Inc. (4.4), Kraft Foods Inc. (3.7) and Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V. (3).
PepsiCo’s areas of strength according to the index included a focus on nutrition and health in its growth strategy, a commitment to increase its research and development spending on improving the nutritional quality of its product portfolio, and its development of a health and wellness program for its employees.
But the report also identified several areas for improvement, including the need for a stronger policy on marketing to children in and near secondary schools, and a stronger approach to labeling by adhering to Codex recommendations.
