And the Financial Times to highlight a fact reported by Nestlé’s annual report: less than half of the mainstream products of the Swiss food giant can be considered “healthy”.
The document explains that food and beverages that account for 54% of the group’s revenues – with the exception of lines involving pet food, infants, vitamins and products for special nutritional needs – boast a score of less than 3.5 stars . A “grade” given with the HSR classification system which is considered a reference for this kind of evaluation. According to what the non-profit Access to Nutrition Initiative says, it means having an assessment that cannot allow them to be considered “healthy” in the common sense.
The levels of saturated fat, sugar and salt in individual products are considered; and also the presence of ingredients which, on the other hand, lead to a positive balance such as fibres, fruit and vegetables. In the end, the sum is drawn up and the “vote” is given to the products of the giant to whom we owe Smarties, Nesquik and Nescafé, among other things.
Il Financial Times remember that this transparency comes after a pressure from shareholders and associations who ask that this information be conveyed more to consumers. Holly Gabriel, responsible investment activist with ShareAction, has indeed commented positively on Nestlé’s choice to highlight these data. On the other hand, you remarked that the group still depends too much, in its business, on products that are not healthy.
The CEO, Mark Schneider, last month explained to analysts the efforts and progress made to reduce harmful ingredients from its products. On the other hand, inflation and cost increases have on the one hand raised the bar of company production and also impacted consumption, prompting managers to be cautious about major changes.