Why it matters

The issues

What we eat can have both positive and negative impacts on our health and well-being. There is growing concern about the role that diet and nutrition play in public health.

The rise in obesity indicates that there is a growing imbalance between calorie intake, energy expenditure and physical activity. The risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases increases when a large proportion of calories comes from saturated fats and added sugar, and is further increased by too much salt in the diet.

Under-nutrition – not getting enough of the right type of nutrients – remains a critical issue facing individuals and communities around the world. According to the United Nations World Food Programme, more than 920 million people are undernourished. Developing countries suffer from the double burden of under- and over-nutrition.

These issues are high on the agendas of governments and regulatory agencies who expect food companies to improve the nutritional quality of their products and be more transparent and responsible in their communications and marketing.

Our contribution

We recognise the potential to make a positive contribution to healthy diets and lifestyles. This presents a clear business opportunity to develop nutritionally balanced, 'good for you' foods. We also recognise that if we had not responded to these global challenges and the expectations placed on us, we would have faced lost sales and market share, and the potential for increased legislation and damage to our reputation.

Many factors influence people's ability to get the right nutritional balance. Ultimately consumers decide what they eat and how they balance their diets and lifestyles. However consumer choices can be influenced and even constrained by factors such as affordability and lack of awareness and access to quality products. Marketing and advertising has the power directly to influence consumer habits and perceptions, both negatively and positively.

We believe our most important contribution is to help people make healthier choices through improvements to our portfolio of products; enhancing nutrition labelling and information; providing greater consumer choice and marketing responsibly.

Our action in these areas is made more effective when we work in partnership with governments, communities and non-profit organisations. This is a consistent hallmark of our approach.