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
FP7
Biofortification
Our objectives
By 2015 – We will develop biofortified crops and launch
new biofortified products in key markets to expand our
fortified products portfolio and benefit rural farming
communities.
By 2017 – Continue to develop the supply chain for
biofortified crops and expand our fortified portfolio.
Through biofortification, food is made more nutritious by
selecting and breeding plant varieties that are naturally rich in
micronutrients. It differs from conventional fortification, which
adds nutrients through processing. Biofortification increases
nutrient levels in crops during a plant’s growth stage, which
enables us to reach populations that conventional fortification
may not be able to reach.
Successful biofortification requires careful planning, study
and analysis of the factors required to grow and harvest crops.
Since 2013, we have been working with agricultural research
institutes in several countries to develop and establish supply
chains for biofortified crops. It is a complex process that can
take many years to get right.
This year, in Nigeria, we tested blending biofortified provitamin
maize with normal maize in a recipe. Local agricultural
production of these new crop varieties was still very small in
2015. But, with our coordination and active encouragement,
aggregators (intermediary suppliers) and the farmers with
whom they work (mainly in northern Nigeria) are aiming to
considerably increase the harvest of biofortified maize in 2016.
Nestlé Procurement has committed to buy significant
quantities of this harvest to stimulate the creation of a reliable
supply chain.
Good understanding and alignment with stakeholders,
including the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
(IITA), the Nigerian Federal Government, the NGO Harvest Plus
and aggregator co-operatives and their farmers, is essential.
This alignment is leading to a collective effort to promote,
cultivate and use biofortified maize. The process presents a
number of challenges, from securing the availability of highquality
biofortified seeds to ensuring they reach farmers, most
of whom are smallholders.
In Africa, we are also exploring the viability of
biofortification opportunities with cassava (Côte d’Ivoire) and
rice (Madagascar), and we are investigating the suitability of
biofortified crops in other locations, including Brazil and Chile.
Read more about our biofortification efforts.
Promoting healthy hydration
Our commitment
Our objectives
Promote healthy hydration as part of a
healthy lifestyle
By 2015 – Further collaborate with governments,
NGOs, academics and industry worldwide to provide
a better understanding of the benefits of water as
key to healthy hydration.
By 2015 – Define a Healthy Hydration Roadmap that will
drive our strategy and performance as of 2016 and beyond.
About 20% to 30% of the water we consume comes from our
food, with the remainder from the fluids we drink. Hydration
levels vary depending on the person and their physical activity,
health, ambient temperature, age and gender. Even mild levels of
dehydration can affect how we perform mentally and physically,
causing headaches, thirst, tiredness and a decrease in alertness,
concentration and memory, as well as physical ability.
Nestlé also considers that plain water – whether from a tap
or a bottle – should be the preferred choice for daily hydration,
as it does not add any calories to diets. An article published in
September 2015 based on ongoing results from the FITS (2008)
in the United States indicates that only about half of toddlers
(56%) and pre-schoolers (52%) met the recommendation to
limit consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Another
recent study, also in the United States, has reported that 25%
of all school-aged kids don’t drink any plain water.
These results have shaped our approach to education on
healthy hydration: we give those responsible for child health the
tools and information they need to ensure that children learn
about the benefits of drinking water. This includes educators and
parents. An example of this is the ‘Ripple Effect’ movement,
launched by Nestlé Pure Life® in the United States in 2015, which
makes the first ripple towards helping to keep kids hydrated by
partnering with the After-School All-Stars, a leading national
provider of comprehensive after-school programmes.
Nestlé is committed to encouraging debate between public
and private partners. For instance, the international roundtable
supported by the Sanpellegrino Group during the Milan Expo
2015 in Italy involved various stakeholders and focused on ‘the
hidden link’ between hydration and health and the first
Manifesto of Hydration.
We also continue to promote healthy hydration through
long-term programmes and partnerships, such as the Nestlé
Healthy Kids Programme, which includes a healthy hydration
component, as well as the United for Healthier Kids initiatives.
Nestlé in society – Creating Shared Value and meeting our commitments 2015 77