Nestlé, a leading food and beverage company, was ranked first in the 2018 Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI) which was released yesterday (May 23), the company said.

It was recognised for its overall performance in its nutrition-related commitments. This confirms Nestlé’s leadership in nutrition, health and wellness as well as our contribution to tackling the global challenges of obesity and undernutrition, said a company statement.

Nestlé also ranked second for its marketing of breast milk substitutes. This reflects Nestlé’s commitment to policies, practices and compliance with the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes, it said.

ATNI revealed that Nestlé’s ‘overall nutrition governance and management systems are comprehensive, well-structured, transparent and applied globally with a clear accountability structure’.

The index highlights Nestlé’s global board-approved nutrition strategy, including a comprehensive set of nutrition-related targets that are directly linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, it added.

ATNI 2018 assesses the contribution of 22 food and beverage companies to address global nutrition challenges across seven categories: governance, products, accessibility, marketing, lifestyles, labelling and engagement, said a statement.

Patrice Bula, executive vice president, Nestlé, said: “We are very pleased with our evaluation by ATNI. We are firmly committed to contributing to tackle the pressing global challenges of obesity and undernutrition, in particular children nutrition and health.”

“Our company embarked on this journey many years ago, and the recent announcement of its ‘Nestlé for Healthier Kids’ initiative is another key milestone. The programme includes the further development of healthier products and advice for families on nutrition and exercise,” he said.

“It aims at helping 50 million children lead healthier lives by 2030. We will continue to pursue our commitments and take a leading role in nutrition and health,” he added.

Nestlé aims to continue leveraging its industry-leading innovation capability to improve its food and beverage portfolio worldwide. In 2017, we delivered 174 billion servings of fortified foods and beverages in 66 countries with higher vulnerability to micronutrient malnutrition. Additionally, by 2020 Nestlé aims to:

•Further reduce sugars by 5 per cent. Since 2000, the company has reduced sugars by over 34 per cent.
•Further reduce salt by 10 per cent. Since 2005, the company has reduced salt by over 20 per cent.
•Complete the commitment taken in 2014, to reduce saturated fats by 10 per cent in all relevant products that do not meet WHO recommendations.

ATNI was developed as an independent benchmarking tool for use by investors, health advocates and companies, and is collated using information in the public domain and supplied by companies themselves, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service