Nestlé unveils platform providing diet-related health data for 190 countries

24 Nov 2021 --- Nestlé and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at US-based Tufts University have launched the Global Nutrition and Health Atlas (GNHA), a new online platform that provides free access to global nutrition and health data for over 190 countries.

The GNHA supports groups that need easily accessible nutrition and health information, such as stakeholders, researchers, health practitioners, policymakers and advocates for healthy nutrition.

“The platform is a place to drive innovation and for people to collaborate. Many data platforms are restrictive, isolated or stagnant,” says Elena Naumova, chair of the division of nutrition data science at Friedman School.

“However, with the Atlas, one can merge information from multiple sources to pull data from different locations and years. Also, one can get tips on how to use it, and this usability supports the wide array of health and nutrition needs around the world.”

Collecting and visualizing data
The GNHA includes data from established sources, including international agencies, NGOs, academic institutes and peer-reviewed studies.

“At Nestlé, in addition to our research partnerships, we draw on public health data to develop science-based nutritional concepts for people across life stages around the world,” says Eline Van Der Beek, head of Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences.

“This platform makes it easy for Nestlé scientists, as well as academic researchers and other external stakeholders, to access reliable data in a quick, interactive and user-friendly way.”The GNHA platform is a publicly available resource developed to share nutrition and health data.

The platform collects and visualizes data on six nutrition and health dashboards, including demographics, dietary intake, nutritional status, health status, health economics and food sustainability.

Each dashboard features data shown in maps and charts to reflect characteristics in geography, frequency and time trends. All dashboards can be downloaded in various formats for further circulation.

Accurate labeling and nutrition profiling
Key industry players have made efforts to ensure accurate F&B labeling and consumer understanding of nutrient profiles.

Last month, the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University developed the Food Compass. A new nutrition profiling system aims to encourage consumers and food companies to choose and produce healthier foods.

In the same month, Action on Salt and Sugar called for the UK government to make front-of-pack nutrition labels mandatory without delay following a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Meanwhile, the European Consumer Organization recently raised the need for accurate food labeling for the children’s food sector as it found that children’s packaging praised unhealthy food consumption.

By Nicole Kerr