UTRECHT, The Netherlands, Nov. 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, ATNi launches the 5^th edition of the Global Access to Nutrition Index, the largest yet, assessing the world’s 30 largest food and beverage manufacturers and over 52,000 products, representing 23% global market share.

One in five deaths globally is associated with a poor diet. One out of eight adults are affected by obesity, 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.

The Index reveals some important progress. More companies are setting targets to improve their portfolio healthiness, now using internationally recognized Nutrient Profiling Models (NPMs) to classify products as ‘healthier’.

However, 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.

Global Index 2024 – key findings

Product Healthiness

Among the 52,414 products analyzed from 30 companies using the Health Star Rating (HSR) system, 31%—a total of 16,467 products—met the healthier threshold (3.5 stars and above out of 5), representing an estimated 34% of the companies' combined sales in 2022. ATNi challenges companies to derive at least half their sales from healthy products by 2030. Today only 30% of companies are meeting this target.

Differences by market and income

Overall food product healthiness in low- and lower middle-income countries scored much lower (mean HSR 1.8) than in high-income countries (mean HSR 2.3). At the aggregate level, the share of ‘less healthy’ products which the 30 assessed companies are marketing is higher in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries. 

Reporting and disclosures

30% of companies assessed, now use an internationally recognized Nutrient Profiling Model to report on portfolio healthiness, with 20% doing so to report on overall percentages of global sales. While the quality, coverage, and transparency of this reporting varies significantly, this shift reflects the growing appetite for reporting against (inter-)national standards.

Marketing

No company has a policy to fully prohibit marketing unhealthy foods to children under 18 across all marketing channels and techniques, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Four companies have taken positive steps, raising their age thresholds to 16 years while only two are marketing ‘healthier’ products defined by a government-endorsed model.   

ATNi calls on

Companies: voluntarily stop marketing to under 18s, improve product portfolio healthiness and fully disclose sales from healthy and unhealthy products using an internationally recognised Nutrient Profiling Model.

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

Responsible investors: help hold the companies to account by investing in those acting responsibly, considering the financial costs of long-term ill health caused by current food environment and products.

“'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.”

Greg S. Garrett, Executive Director, ATNi

“Only 31% of the 52,000+ food products assessed by ATNi meet the health criteria. This is not good enough. Companies need to start doing better demonstrating that they care about the public health of their consumer base.”

Jessica Fanzo, Professor of Climate and Director of the Food for Humanity Initiative, Columbia University

Media Contact – Philip Eisenhart

Philip.eisenhart@accesstonutrition.org