Nestlé to strengthen ‘responsible marketing’ of indulgent products

Nestlé said it will step up the support for balanced diets as it has set a target to boost sales of its more nutritious foods.

The Swiss food giant aims to grow the sales of its more nutritious products by CHF 20-25 billion (£17.8-22.3bn) by 2030. This represents about 50 per cent growth over 2022 sales.

The target applies to Nestlé products with a Health Star Rating (HSR) of 3.5 stars or more together with its specialised nutrition products, including baby foods, vitamin and mineral supplements and medical nutrition, which already account for close to 60 of the company’s food and beverage sales. Infant formula for children 0-12 months as well as Nestlé’s PetCare portfolio are excluded from the target.

The HSR system is a government-endorsed nutrient profiling model used for front-of-pack labelling in some countries and by the Access to Nutrition Index.

Nestlé said it will continue to invest significantly to renovate existing products, and to drive innovation. The company will also expand micronutrient fortification opportunities and grow its affordable offerings. In addition, it will further develop its portfolio of products and recipes created using plant-based ingredients.

As part of the measures to help people enjoy a balanced diet, Nestlé will strengthen its responsible marketing of indulgent products, in particular those from its confectionery and ice cream categories.

Specifically, it will ensure that all children’s confectionery and ice cream portions will be 110 kilocalories or less, and all multi-serve products from these two categories will have clear front-of-pack portion guidance, where local regulation allows.

These changes will be fully rolled out within the next three years, starting in spring of next year in the UK where Nestlé will provide more visually intuitive front-of-pack portion guidance on confectionery.

They come on top of Nestlé’s decision to voluntarily restrict its marketing to children under the age of 16, which came into effect at the beginning of July this year.

The company will also provide more guidance via new and existing digital services and tools, such as My MenuIQ or NutriPlato. These platforms provide nutritious recipes, menu planning, healthy lifestyle tips and recommendations for more nutritious choices.

Earlier this year, Nestlé became the first company to report on the nutritional value of its entire global portfolio, using HSR. The 2022 analysis of the nutrition value of the company’s portfolio (excluding PetCare products) showed that 37 per cent of sales came from products with an HSR of 3.5 or more, meeting the threshold generally considered as more nutritious. An additional 20 per cent of sales came from specialised nutrition products.

Products with an HSR of between 1.5 and 3.5 accounted for 22 per cent, and products below an HSR of 1.5 for 21 per cent.