A Nestle shareholders ’ meeting that happened soon after a study revealed that the company adds sugar to infant milk sold in poorer countries voted against a proposal that would have forced it to cut back on sales of food and beverage products with high levels of sugar, salt and fats. Nestle claimed that the move would have restricted its “strategic freedom”.
ShareAction , which describes itself as a responsible investment NGO coordinating a coalition of Nestle shareholders, moved a proposal at the company’s annual general meeting held on April 18, urging it to increase the proportion of sales from healthier products . The proposal would have forced Nestlé to report sales figures for food and beverages based on their healthfulness. It would also have required the company to set targets to increase the proportion of sales from its healthier products. However, the proposal got the support of just 11% of shareholders.
“Nestle says it wants to improve global health, yet the majority of its global food and drinks sales are unhealthy products . Poor diets are cutting lives short by contributing to diabetes, heart diseases and some cancers,” said a statement from ShareAction. However, Nestle rejected this claim about the majority of its products being unhealthy. In its statement, it said that “people can enjoy indulgent products in moderation” and that it was up to individuals to make healthy choices.
ShareAction called on Nestle “to implement internationally accepted standards that define healthy food rather than deviating from credible guidelines”. It further added: “Nestlé is the biggest food company in the world and has an enormous influence on billions of people’s diets and lives through the products it makes, advertises and sells to us. Any move away from sales of unhealthy products by Nestlé will inevitably support healthier communities all over the world and in the long-term help economies too.”
In September 2023, Nestle set a target to increase sales of more nutritious food products by 50% by 2030. However, ShareAction pointed out that the ‘nutritious’ sales target was simply in line with Nestlé’s overall expected growth of 4-6% per year. “If its sales of unhealthier products also increase at a similar rate, there will be no improvement in the impact of the food it sells on consumer diets and public health. This would not shift Nestlé’s reliance on sales of unhealthy products,” said ShareAction’s statement. It added that Nestle showed a lower proportion of unhealthy products by counting plain coffee, specialized nutrition products, including baby foods, vitamin and mineral supplements and medical nutrition as ‘nutritious’ products. ShareAction demanded that Nestle set a specific, measurable and ambitious target whereby at least 50% of its sales would come from products that meet healthy thresholds by 2030.
Last year, Action on Sugar, a group of specialists concerned with sugar and its effects on health, found that three food companies including Nestle have “unnecessary” levels of sugar in cereals and yoghurts that have packaging that appeals to children. It stated that 65% of yogurts surveyed contained one-third of a 4-6 year-old’s daily maximum sugar recommendation based on manufacturer’s recommended serving.
ShareAction , which describes itself as a responsible investment NGO coordinating a coalition of Nestle shareholders, moved a proposal at the company’s annual general meeting held on April 18, urging it to increase the proportion of sales from healthier products . The proposal would have forced Nestlé to report sales figures for food and beverages based on their healthfulness. It would also have required the company to set targets to increase the proportion of sales from its healthier products. However, the proposal got the support of just 11% of shareholders.
“Nestle says it wants to improve global health, yet the majority of its global food and drinks sales are unhealthy products . Poor diets are cutting lives short by contributing to diabetes, heart diseases and some cancers,” said a statement from ShareAction. However, Nestle rejected this claim about the majority of its products being unhealthy. In its statement, it said that “people can enjoy indulgent products in moderation” and that it was up to individuals to make healthy choices.
ShareAction called on Nestle “to implement internationally accepted standards that define healthy food rather than deviating from credible guidelines”. It further added: “Nestlé is the biggest food company in the world and has an enormous influence on billions of people’s diets and lives through the products it makes, advertises and sells to us. Any move away from sales of unhealthy products by Nestlé will inevitably support healthier communities all over the world and in the long-term help economies too.”
In September 2023, Nestle set a target to increase sales of more nutritious food products by 50% by 2030. However, ShareAction pointed out that the ‘nutritious’ sales target was simply in line with Nestlé’s overall expected growth of 4-6% per year. “If its sales of unhealthier products also increase at a similar rate, there will be no improvement in the impact of the food it sells on consumer diets and public health. This would not shift Nestlé’s reliance on sales of unhealthy products,” said ShareAction’s statement. It added that Nestle showed a lower proportion of unhealthy products by counting plain coffee, specialized nutrition products, including baby foods, vitamin and mineral supplements and medical nutrition as ‘nutritious’ products. ShareAction demanded that Nestle set a specific, measurable and ambitious target whereby at least 50% of its sales would come from products that meet healthy thresholds by 2030.
Last year, Action on Sugar, a group of specialists concerned with sugar and its effects on health, found that three food companies including Nestle have “unnecessary” levels of sugar in cereals and yoghurts that have packaging that appeals to children. It stated that 65% of yogurts surveyed contained one-third of a 4-6 year-old’s daily maximum sugar recommendation based on manufacturer’s recommended serving.
