Nestlé adds fruits & veggies and cuts sodium, sugar & fat to help create “better food environment”

The firm also wants to help Americans make healthier choices with more detailed front-of-pack labeling, portion control guidance and fitness initiatives, CEO Paul Grimwood writes in the Creating Shared Value Report. “Our work over the last 10 years to reduce sugar, sodium and saturated fat and remove trans fat from our products without sacrificing taste impacts millions of consumers striving for better health,” Grimwood says in the report. Among the achievements touted in the report, Nestlé says it reformulated 1,058 products in 2014 alone to meet stricter nutrition standards set by the company and to meet evolving consumer demand for preferred ingredients, such as non-GMO. Sugar reduction successes One way the company is trying to make its products healthier is by reducing sugar content 10% compared to 2013 levels in products that do not already meet the Nestlé Nutrition Foundation criteria, the report notes. This includes reducing the added sugar content in Nesquik powdered and ready-to-drink products to 10.6 grams per serving by the end of 2014. The company also claims it risked sales to reformulate its “beloved” 1.0- and 0.5-ounce Giant Pixy Stix to a 0.42-ounce serving so that the treat would meet the NNF criteria of sugar per serving for food enjoyed by children. “Confectionery will always be a category of foods consumers enjoy and our ambition is to help them enjoy sweet treats responsibility and with the right portion in mind,” the company notes. Nestlé adds in the report that it supports FDA's controversial proposal to declare added sugars as a percent of Daily Value on the Nutrition Facts Panel. “Nestlé believes in transparency to consumers and recognizes that consumers can’t easily monitor added sugar intake unless they can find this information on food labels, which enables them to compare products and make informed decisions,” according to the report. Reducing sodium and fat The company also promises to continue to reduce sodium in its products and eliminate trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils in the coming years. By the end of 2016, Nestlé plans to remove trans fats from PHOs as functional ingredients from all its foods and beverages, ahead of FDA’s 2018 deadline, according to the report. By that same time, the company wants to reduce sodium by at least 10% from 2012 levels in products that do not already meet NNF criteria. This will build on the firm’s momentum in 2014 when it brought all children’s products within the NNF sodium criteria. Specific brands that it will target for sodium reduction in 2015 include frozen pizza brands Digiorno, Tombstone, California Pizza Kitchen and Jack’s. It also is focused on Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets, according to the report. Adding healthier ingredients Nestlé isn’t just taking away undesirable ingredients to improve products health profile, it is also adding nutrient dense ingredients. “We’re adding more fruits and vegetables and other high-quality ingredients to make healthier choices easier and more delicious,” the company writes in the report. For example, its new Buitoni line of pastas includes vegetables in the dough, Lean Cuisine now has five meals with one cup of vegetables per serving and its Outshine freezer bars are made with 25% of fruit and vegetable juice and puree. Other brands, like Stouffer’s new Fit Kitchen line and Lean Cuisine, offer more protein or are made with gluten-free and non-GMO ingredients, the report says. The company will continue to expand its organic, non-GMO and gluten-free choices across its most popular categories and brands through 2016, it adds. Reflecting on Nestlé's progress in improving the health and nutrition of its products in the past few years and over the course of its 150 year existence, Grimwood said that while he is proud, “this is no time for complacency.” Looking forward, he added: “We’re contemplating how we will continue to evolve and create shared value over the next 150 years.”

Nestlé adds fruits & veggies and cuts sodium, sugar & fat to help create “better food environment”

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