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The world’s largest food company, Nestlé, has acknowledged that more than 60 percent of its conventional food and beverage products do not meet a “recognized definition of health” and that “some of our categories and products will never be” healthy. ” no matter how much we renew ”.
A presentation distributed among top executives this year, seen by the Financial Times, says that only 37% of Nestlé’s food and beverage by revenue, excluding products such as pet food and specialty medical nutrition, achieve a rating above 3, 5 according to the Australian health star system.
This system classifies five-star foods and is used in research by international groups such as the Access to Nutrition Foundation. Nestlé, the maker of KitKats, Maggi and Nescafé noodles, describes the 3.5-star threshold as a “recognized definition of health.”
Within its global food and beverage portfolio, approximately 70% of Nestlé’s food products did not reach this threshold, according to the presentation, along with 96% of beverages (excluding pure coffee) and 99% of Nestlé’s confectionery and ice cream portfolio.
Water and dairy products performed better, with 82% of water and 60% of dairy products reaching the threshold.
“We have made significant improvements to our products. . . [but] our portfolio still outperforms external definitions of health in a landscape where regulatory pressure and consumer demands are skyrocketing, ”the presentation said.
The data do not include infant formulas, pet foods, coffee, and the health sciences division, which make foods for people with specific medical conditions. This means that the data represents about half of Nestlé’s total annual revenue of 92.9 billion francs (Nestlé).
Nestlé, based in Vevey, Switzerland, updates its internal nutrition standards © Stefan Wermuth / Bloomberg
The findings come as food manufacturers struggle with a global push to fight obesity and promote healthier eating. Nestlé executives are considering what new commitments they should make in nutrition and intend to unveil plans this year.
The group is also updating its internal nutrition standards, known as the Nestlé Nutrition Foundation, which were introduced by Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, a former CEO, who characterized Nestlé as a “nutrition, health and wellness company.”
One option could be to remove or replace these standards with products seen as sweets, such as pastries, according to someone familiar with the situation.
Mark Schneider, no executive, has done it recognized that consumers want a healthier diet, but rejected claims that “processed” foods, including those made by Nestlé and other multinationals, tend to be unhealthy.
However, the presentation highlights Nestlé products, such as a three-meat DiGiorno pizza with meat croissants, which includes about 40% of the recommended daily amount of sodium per person, and a Hot Pockets pepperoni pizza that contains 48%.
Another product, an orange-flavored San Pellegrino drink, gets an “E,” the worst mark available in a different scoring system, Nutri-Score, with more than 7.1 g of sugar per 100 ml. Health forward brand carries an E. [rating]? ”
In addition, the strawberry-flavored Nesquik from Nestlé, which is sold in the US, contains 14 g of sugar in a 14 g serving along with small amounts of dye and flavor, although it is designed to be mixed with milk. It is described as “perfect for breakfast to prepare the kids for the day.”
Nestlé said that “it is working on a company-wide project to update its pioneering nutrition and health strategy. We are examining our entire portfolio through the different phases of people’s lives to make sure that the our products help meet your nutritional needs and support a balanced diet.
“Our efforts are based on a solid foundation of work for decades. . . For example, we have significantly reduced the sugars and sodium in our products in the last two decades, by approximately 14-15% in the last seven years alone. “
Nestlé’s Nesquik, which is marketed for children, has a high sugar content © Alamy
Marion Nestle (unrelated), a visiting professor of nutrition sciences at Cornell University, said Nestlé and its rivals would fight to make their portfolios healthy overall.
“The job of food companies is to generate money for shareholders and generate them as quickly as possible and in the largest possible amount. They are going to sell products that reach a mass audience and are bought by as many people as possible, that people want to buy, and that is junk food, ”he said.
“Nestlé is a very smart company, at least from my meetings with people who work in their science[departments]. . . but they have a real problem. . . Scientists have been working for years to try to figure out how to reduce the salt and sugar content without changing the flavor profile and guess what, it’s hard to do. “
Some products perceived as healthy, such as herbal meat alternatives, are areas of strong growth for food producers. Nestlé has sold some of its divisions that produced less healthy products, such as a 60% stake in the Herta charcuterie market in 2019.
Nestlé ranked among the world’s largest beverage and food manufacturers in a 2018 index of efforts to promote better diets compiled by the Access to Nutrition Foundation, although the foundation warned that “all companies must do a lot month”.
Nestlé said: “In recent years, we have launched thousands of products for children and families that meet external nutrition criteria. We have also distributed billions of doses of micronutrients through our nutritious and affordable products. “
He added: “We believe that a healthy diet means finding a balance between well-being and enjoyment. This includes having some space for indulgent foods, consumed in moderation.
“Our direction of travel has not changed and it is clear: we will continue to make our wallet tastier and healthier.”
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