Global nonprofit ATNI and investors drive reporting on healthy foods

LONDON, Sept. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today in London, ATNI (Access to Nutrition Initiative), dozens of food companies and investors commit to using common standards to measure the healthiness of food portfolios of major corporations. This follows a year of research and consultation involving over 80 experts from the investment community, the food industry and academia.

One in five deaths globally is associated with a poor diet. As the hidden costs of the food system mount, the need for corporate accountability becomes greater than ever.  For this investors and regulators need universal and clear standards to measure baselines and progress  of the industry's transition to more nutritious product portfolios.  There are up to 400 different nutrient profile models (NPMs) used sporadically to measure the healthiness of food products and portfolios. To address the lack of standardized nutrition performance measurements, ATNI conducted a research series, launched in June 2023, to increase harmonization. The Pictet Foundation funded the research. A three-round Delphi process facilitated cross-sectoral stakeholder alignment. A total of 86 experts from 14 countries participated in this research, including representatives from the food industry, investors, academic experts, non-governmental organization representatives (NGOs) and others.  

This research process found three NPMs most appropriate for future investor reporting: Health Star Rating (HSR), Nutri-Score, and the UK NPM.  

Following this extensive consultation, ATNI and its investors and several food companies call on the sector to use at least one of these three government-endorsed nutrient profiling models to report on the healthiness of food portfolios.

"We urge all food and beverage manufacturers and retailers to benchmark their product portfolios against at least one of the three selected NPMs [Health Star Rating (HSR), Nutri-Score, and/or the UK NPM] and to utilize the proposed ATNI reporting guidelines to enable investors to better gauge and compare the healthiness of portfolios and percentage of sales from healthier products. This is an important first step towards healthier food environments and improved access to healthier foods for all. Moving forward, we want to see all companies do this and to have governments regulate corporate reporting on the healthiness of product portfolios," 

says Greg Garrett, Executive Director of ATNI.

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