Nestlé is ranked first in the 2016 Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI) for its marketing of breast milk substitutes and came second in the overall index, improving on its third place in 2013, a statement has said.
ATNI said that breast milk substitute (BMS) manufacturers should adopt a comprehensive BMS Marketing Policy, fully aligned with the WHO Code and subsequent resolutions, and apply it globally. Nestlé is committed to marketing BMS responsibly, and will look closely at the areas where ATNI recommends improvements.
ATNI 2016 ranks the world’s largest 22 food and beverage companies on their nutrition-related commitments and performance across seven categories: governance, products, accessibility, marketing, lifestyles, labelling and engagement.
Nestlé came top in other sub-categories aside from BMS marketing: general nutrition and undernutrition.
The index highlights Nestlé’s “clear corporate nutrition strategy” that covers product reformulation, access to healthy foods and marketing: areas where it has built trust by making clear public commitments.
ATNI was developed as an independent benchmarking tool for use by investors, health advocates and companies, and is collated using information in the public domain and supplied by companies themselves.
Driven by its passion for nutrition, Nestlé said it “will continue to engage with ATNI, and welcomes the report’s specific recommendations on how it can improve its performance, to tackle global nutrition challenges.”
