(Tuesday 21st March) Today, food manufacturing giant Nestlé disclosed its proportion of healthier sales globally, defined according to a government-endorsed nutrient-profiling model, the Health Star Rating (HSR), for the first time, following a period of escalated investor engagement on the issue co-ordinated by ShareAction.
Based on HSR, just 46% of of everyday product sales, such as breakfast cereals and soups, are classified as healthier.
Holly Gabriel, Campaign Lead – Consumer Health at ShareAction, said: “Nestlé’s use of a government-backed, internationally recognised nutrient profiling model is a welcome step forward for the company’s transparency to investors and consumers alike. We expect other manufacturers to follow suit.
However, as one of the biggest food and drink companies in the world, Nestlé has an outsized influence on what people eat and drink. What this disclosure worryingly shows is the company is still far too reliant on the sale of less healthy food and drink products.
Diet related ill health continues to rise on a global scale we urge the company, and all food and drink manufacturers without targets, to set ambitious targets to increase the proportion of its sales of healthier food, both to address the global public health crisis and meet investors' expectations to mitigate risk from rising regulation all over the world.”
