Mondelēz advances mindful and sustainable snacking roadmap
At the end of 2018, Mondelēz portion control snacks (individually wrapped products with 200 calories or less) represented 15% of global net revenue, achieving its company goal two years ahead of schedule, according to the firm's 2018 Impact Progress Report.
Since 2017, the snacks giant reduced saturated fat by 1% and sodium by 0.9% across its global portfolio of brands. The company also reduced sugar levels in its Milka chocolate and Oreo cookie brands by 1% over the same time period.
Despite the progress in evolving its snack portfolio towards expanded better-for-you options, more work is needed, said Mondelēz. The company didn't meet its original target of growing its "well-being brands" (belVita, Wheat Thins, Triscuit, Good Thins, Ritz Crisp & Thins, and Enjoy Life Foods) by twice the rate of its base portfolio -- at the end of 2018, these brands remained at the same growth rate as its base portfolio.
Another target Mondelēz continues to deliver against is allocating 96% of its $50m investment in mindful snacking to healthy lifestyle community partnerships, which has impacted 1.5 million children across 18 countries by increasing nutrition knowledge, increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and providing opportunities for physical activity.
“Our company is playing a significant role in making snacking both sustainable and mindful by creating a future where people and planet thrive, and evolving our portfolio to inspire mindful snacking habits. I’m proud of our progress in 2018, particularly in well-being snacks where we were able to reach a major goal ahead of schedule,” said Dirk Van de Put, chairman and CEO of Mondelēz International.
SnackFutures to contribute $100m to total revenue by 2022
At the crux of its mindful snacking focus is the innovation and venture hub called SnackFutures launched last year to "explicitly focus on snacks," Brigette Wolf, head of SnackFutures Innovation, previously told FoodNavigator-USA. So far, Mondelēz made a minority stake in Uplift Food, a prebiotic functional food brand founded by dietitian Kara Landau, and another minority investment in vegan and paleo brand, Hu Products.
Mondelēz intends to grow SnackFutures to contribute $100m to total revenue by 2022 while providing mindful snacking information such as portion amounts on all packages globally by 2025.
Sustainable snacking
Mondelēz has made progress in the area of 'sustainable snacking', which focuses on producing its snacks using less energy, water, and waste. Across its global manufacturing operations, Mondelēz saw a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions, 22% reduction in water usage, and 13% reduction of total waste. The company also eliminated 65,698 metric tons of packaging, on target to reach its 2020 goal of eliminating 71,650 metric tons of packaging.
“We believe that consumers should not have to choose between snacking and eating right, or to worry about the impact their snacking choices have on the world and their communities,” Van de Put said.
The company's sustainable snacking goals also extend to the ingredients it uses for its products. At the end of last year, 43% of its total cocoa volume was sourced through Cocoa Life, the company's sustainable cocoa sourcing program. Its current progress puts Mondelēz on track to source 100% of its cocoa via Cocoa Life by 2025.
Mondelēz has also maintained its 100% RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) palm oil goal and can trace nearly 100% of its palm oil usage back to the original mill. By the end of 2018, 15% of global eggs sourced were cage-free, and it is on target to use 100% cage-free eggs in the US and Canada by 2020 and in the rest of the world by 2025.
