Global players show positive progress on consumer wellness, survey finds

25 Jun 2018 --- The International Food & Beverage Alliance (IFBA) has released its ten-year progress report which details the member companies cumulative progress on “empowering consumers to eat balanced diets and live healthy lives.” Key takeaways from the report include 98 percent of industrially produced trans fats as eliminated from members’ products and no more than 10g of sugar being in member companies’ cereals. Notable company members include: The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, Ferrero, General Mills, Grupo Bimbo, Kellogg’s, Mars, McDonald’s, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, PepsiCo.

The report is organized across four core commitments: New & improved products and smaller portions, clear and comprehensive nutrition information, responsible marketing and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. The commitments are designed to meet the objectives of the World Health Organization and the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals of zero hunger and good health and well-being for all.

New & improved products and smaller portions
Over the last decade, IFBA member companies have had to innovate to improve and create new products – and small and reduced portions – that hopefully empower consumers to eat balanced diets. Some key findings are as follows:
• Tens of thousands of improved and new products worldwide with: less sugar, fats, and sodium, more fiber, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, more lower and no-sugar choices, and an increased amount of smaller and reduced portion options.
• 98 percent of industrially produced trans-fat eliminated from IFBA members’ products.
• 45.5 percent of IFBA companies’ food and non-alcoholic beverages meet the “better-for-you” standard.

Clear & Comprehensive Nutrition Information. 
Members should have enhanced product labels and online and point-of-sale communications with clear, comprehensive, accessible information on nutrition and consumption guidance – so that consumers can make informed choices. Some key findings include:
• 95 percent of IFBA members’ products display calories on front-of-pack labels. 

Responsible Marketing
IFBA companies should not advertise to children under 12 years of age, according to the alliance, or if they do, they only promote better-for-you products. Over the last decade, member companies should have made dramatic, positive changes to the kinds of products that children see across media platforms. Examples from the US and Canada are listed below.
 
In the US
• 75 percent of products contain at least a half serving of fruits, vegetable, whole grains, or dairy.
• Member companies’ cereals contain no more than 10g sugar per serving as of 2015, compared to pre-2007 pledge levels of up to 16g. 
• 75 percent of member companies’ cereals contain 0g of saturated fat per serving, 97 percent have no more than 0.5g saturated fat per serving, and 75 percent+ contain no more than 170mg sodium per serving.
• More than 75 percent of member companies’ cereals contain no more than 170mg sodium per serving.
• Since 2016, no individual food is more than 140 calories and no small meals or mixed dishes are more 530 calories. 

In Canada
• 64 percent of products include whole grains, 17 percent include dairy.
• Since 2012 no product advertised by participants is more than 200 calories and every meal is less than 600 calories.

The ten-year progress report mirrors the work of the Access to Nutrition Index which details the world’s top 22 leading food and beverage companies' contributions to proper nutrition across seven categories: governance, products, accessibility, marketing, lifestyles, labeling and engagement. Nestlé nabbed the highest ranking sport in the 2018 ranking for good nutrition practice, while FrieslandCampina was noted as improving the most since the 2016 ranking.

Despite positive findings in the 2018 index that showed that many leading food and beverage manufacturers have stepped up efforts to encourage better diets, largely by adopting better policies and publishing more information, more must still be done. For example, the ATNI state that companies must ensure that poorer demographics have access to affordable, healthy diets through the fortification of products.

The ATNI asserts that the 22 food and beverage companies included in the 2018 Index generate an estimated US$500 billion in annual sales in over 200 countries and that their products play a significant and increasing role in the diets of millions of people. The Indexes are designed to measure whether manufacturers are responsible in the way they make, sell and market their products to address the global nutrition crisis, which sees one-in-three people either overweight or undernourished and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Overall, such large-scale surveys prove useful in understanding the contributions made by large food and beverage companies to consumer wellness while highlighting spots where progress will always be welcome and needed.

By Laxmi Haigh