Nestlé has acknowledged that less than half the nutritional value of its core food and drink portfolio can be considered “healthy” according to the commonly accepted definition, despite pressure on packaged food manufacturers to make their products more nutritious.
An annual report from the world’s largest food companies shows that 54 percent of its food and beverage revenues — excluding items such as pet food, baby food, vitamins and special medical nutrition — score less than 3.5, according to the widely used Health Star Rating (HSR. ) system.
Foods rated lower are not considered “generally healthy,” according to the Nutrition Initiative’s approach.
Nestle has released figures from some lobbying partners to make the industry more transparent about the nutritional value of its products.
The group said it was “setting the standard for transparency” and was the first in the industry to “report the nutritional value of its entire global portfolio”.
Packaged food companies are under scrutiny for their role in the global obesity problem. In an effort to improve diets, some governments have introduced high taxes on sugar and placed restrictions on marketing and sales promotions.
Nestle chief executive Mark Schneider told analysts the group had “already made a lot of progress” in reducing sodium, sugar and saturated fat.
The manufacturer has recently reduced the sodium in Mahler-brand products twice, introduced more sugar-free Coffee Mate variants and introduced more plant-based foods, such as the Garden Gourmet Schnitzel.
But industry executives say there are limits to promoting healthier products, especially since consumer inflation has reduced consumer spending and costs in the industry.
Nestlé in its annual report breaks down its net sales into four categories: 17 percent comes from products with an HSR rating below 1.5, 18 percent from products with a score between 1.5 and 3.5, and 30 percent with an HSR rating of less than 1.5. at least 3.5 The remaining 35 percent came from pet products and other products to which the HSR does not apply.
Data collected by Nestlé and audited by Bureau Veritas. Mark Wijne, director of the Nutrition Access Initiative, said the disclosure was “very welcome”, but pointed out that Nestlé’s companies could and should do more to innovate and promote healthy options.
Nestle added that “there is a long way to go” and now we want to go further. We have set a global target for the brightest part of our portfolios by the end of this year.
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