VEVEY, SWITZERLAND — Nestle S.A. on March 7 unveiled its new 2020 commitments together with three long-term ambitions in support of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The commitments and ambitions are included in the report, “Nestle in society: Creating shared value and meeting our commitments 2016.”
The company’s long-term ambitions are to help 50 million children to lead healthier lives, to help to improve 30 million livelihoods in communities directly connected to the company’s business activities, and to strive for zero environmental impact in operations.
Of Nestle’s 42 society commitments the company hopes to achieve by 2020, 15 are related to nutrition, health and wellness.
The company has set out to decrease sugars, sodium and saturated fat. By the end of 2016, Nestle said it had reduced its added sugar content by 8%, reduced sodium content by 10.5% and reduced saturated fat content by 6.5%.
Nestle also identified a need to increase vegetables, fiber-rich grains, pulses, nuts and seeds in its food and beverage products.
“Dietary intake studies around the world indicate that these nutrient-dense foods are lacking in the daily food choices of both children and adults,” Nestle said. “We are committed to encouraging their consumption through our products and by promoting healthy cooking, providing nutrition guidance on-pack and on-line where relevant.”
By 2020, Nestle said it plans to add at least 750 million portions of vegetables and 300 million portions of nutrient-rich grains, pulses and bran, and more nuts and seeds, to its products. The company said it also intends to pack as much fiber as possible from whole grains into its ready-to-eat cereals.
The company’s commitment to simplify its ingredient lists and remove artificial colors will be achieved through the implementation of a “Kitchen Cupboard” approach, Nestle said. The “Kitchen Cupboard” approach focuses on using familiar and recognizable ingredients, such as vegetables, spices, herbs and flours. By 2020 the company hopes to remove all artificial colors from its products and continue to remove unfamiliar ingredients.
Nestle’s commitment to promote healthy portion consumption by deploying its Portion Guidance program on 100% of its children’s and family products by 2016 fell short, with about 67% of products currently offering Portion Guidance. The company’s objective toward 2020 is to continue to provide guidance and add frequency of consumption indications on relevant products. Nestle said it also plans to extend its guidance on portions to its consumer recipes, and relevant teenager and adult products.
Other commitments to nutrition, health and wellness include:
•Launch more nutritious foods and beverages, especially for mothers-to-be, new mothers and children;
•Address undernutrition through micronutrient fortification;
•Support breastfeeding and protect it by continuing to implement an industry-leading policy to market breast milk substitutes responsibly;
•Empower parents, caregivers and teachers to foster healthy behaviors in children;
•Market to children only choices that help them achieve a nutritious diet;
•Advocate for water as a top choice for healthier hydration;
•Leverage marketing efforts to promote healthy cooking, eating and lifestyles;
•Apply and explain nutrition information on packs, at point of sale and on-line;
•Partner for promoting healthy food environments;
•Build and share nutrition knowledge from the first 1,000 days through to healthy aging; and
•Build biomedical science leading to health-promoting products, personalized nutrition and digital solutions.
