Nestlé in society Creating Shared Value and meeting our commitments 2015

Nestlé in society:
Creating Shared Value
Nutrition, health
and wellness
Rural development
Water
Environmental
sustainability
Human rights
and compliance
Our
people
Customer health and safety G4-DMA, FP7
Micronutrient fortification
Our commitment
Our objective
Help reduce the risk of undernutrition through
micronutrient fortification
By 2016 – We will reach 200 billion micronutrientfortified
servings of foods and beverages annually
worldwide, helping to address global micronutrient
deficiencies with a special focus on children and women
of childbearing age.
Total number of micronutrient-fortified servings of foods
and beverages annually worldwide (billion)
Goal by 2016: 200 billion
2015 192
2014 183
2013 167
A key product area in our fortification efforts is condiments,
such as bouillon cubes and seasonings as well as soups.
These are good carriers for nutrients as they build on existing
eating habits and are consumed widely and frequently, and
remain affordable to many populations. Iron-fortified bouillons,
soups and noodles have been deployed with success in South
Asia, Central and West Africa (CWAR), South Africa and
Eastern Europe.
The impact of fortifying foods
and beverages
National nutrition surveys conducted in the Philippines indicate
that micronutrient deficiencies remain prevalent among
children. As an example, the 7 th National Nutrition Survey (2008)
indicated that around 20% of children aged 1 to 12 years old
suffer from anaemia. Studies have shown that the economic
impact of the condition on the local economy is substantial.
Ideally, nutrients that are essential for health should be
obtained from a balanced and varied diet. For a number of
reasons, this is not always possible, particularly in developing
countries. The food and beverage industry, therefore, has a
unique opportunity to contribute to tackling this major global
health gap by improving the nutrition status of people at risk
through the addition of relevant micronutrients to foods and
beverages. We track the number of fortified servings sold in
66 key countries identified as possessing significant
deficiencies, and we estimate the number sold in the rest of
the world.
Many of our foods and beverages, including cereals and
milk, provide nourishment for particularly vulnerable groups
including infants, children and expectant mothers. In 2015, we
faced challenges due to general and specific economic
conditions, such as not selling any Maggi products for a period
of six months. However, we still increased the number of
fortified servings we delivered in 2015 when compared to
2014, placing us on track to meet our 2016 objective.
In terms of our efforts to provide affordable foods and
beverages for target consumers, especially low- to middleincome
socio-economic groups in developing regions, 79%
of our PPPs sold in 2015 were fortified with at least one of the
‘Big 4’ nutrients (iron, iodine, vitamin A and zinc).
Nestlé Research has worked together with the local Food and
Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) and the Winterthur Institute
of Health Economics, Zurich, to investigate the impact of
micronutrient deficiencies in the Philippines, determining that
there were substantial economic and health risks. Based on the
findings from additional research conducted in 2012, scientists
have confirmed that fortified milk can be an effective option in
reducing anaemia in children that regularly consume it over a
period of months.
As a result, Nestlé Research engaged with private and public
stakeholders to create an awareness campaign that could
encourage more mothers to feed their children with fortified
powdered milk. The availability and popularity of Nestlé’s Bear
Brand fortified powdered milk in the Philippines made it an easy
choice on which to build the campaign. Through the use of
posters, online advertising and videos, and with the support of
the Government, Bear Brand helped publicise the consequences
of iron deficiencies in the Philippines among mothers.
The research group has continued to work on tailoring
different strategies to reach children and their families through
better access to micronutrients and, in 2015, the research was
presented to public health authorities and local government
bodies. The research group is also investigating how to apply
similar methods in India, where the cost of iron deficiency
anaemia is the equivalent of CHF 3.1 billion (USD 24 billion) per
year in lost productivity, according to estimates by Nestlé
Research and the Winterthur Institute of Health Economics.
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