URGENT CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY AS INDUSTRY, POLICY MAKERS CONFRONT WITH FOOD POLYCRISIS - ATNI

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 (Bernama) -- One in five deaths globally is associated with a poor diet, while one out of eight adults are affected by obesity as revealed by Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNi) in its latest findings.

The fifth edition of the Global Access to Nutrition Index, the largest yet, found that 150 million children are too short for their age because of poor nutrition, and close to a third of women of reproductive age, and half of children, consume inadequate micronutrients.

In a statement, ATNi said the index assessed the world’s 30 largest food and beverage manufacturers and over 52,000 products, representing 23 per cent global market share.

ATNi Executive Director, Greg S. Garrett said: “'Health is wealth'. We know this is true, but most food companies have not yet placed nutrition as core to their business. There is progress, but our findings show overall subpar performance and weaknesses in the market.”

More companies are setting targets to improve their portfolio healthiness, now using internationally recognised Nutrient Profiling Models (NPMs) to classify products as ‘healthier’ but, overall, there have been only marginal improvements in key metrics such as healthiness of product portfolios.

Concurrently, the estimated sales values of company’s healthier products have increased, showing consumers are increasingly purchasing healthier products. Worryingly, product portfolio healthiness was found to be lowest in low-income countries, highlighting disparities in product offerings across different markets and income groups.

Hence, ATNi calls on companies to voluntarily stop marketing to children under 18, improve product portfolio healthiness and fully disclose sales from healthy and unhealthy products using an internationally recognised NPM.

Meanwhile, governments are urged to regulate and build an enabling environment that helps companies protect public health. Well-designed fiscal policies are also needed to make healthier foods more affordable and less healthy foods more expensive.

Responsible investors play a key role in holding companies accountable by investing in those that act ethically, taking into account the long-term financial costs of ill health caused by the current food environment and products.

-- BERNAMA