On the 15th of May – and also the United Nations International Day of Families – Nestlé announced its global ‘Nestlé for Healthier Kids’ initiative. The program includes the further development of healthier products and advice for families on nutrition and exercise. It aims at helping 50 million children lead healthier lives by 2030.
Since its foundation, Nestlé has been committed to helping parents and caregivers provide the right nutrition to their children. With this new initiative Nestlé is accelerating the transformation of its food and beverage portfolio worldwide. In 2017 alone, the company launched more than 1000 new products to meet the nutritional needs of children. In the same year, it provided 174 billion servings of fortified foods and beverages in 66 countries where people lack essential micronutrients such as iron, iodine and vitamin A.
Mark Schneider, the company’s CEO, said: “Childhood is a time where life-long habits are formed. We want to help parents make healthier choices for their children. This is why we are accelerating our efforts to support families in raising healthier kids and we call on others to join us in this endeavor.”
Nestlé already reformulates around one third of its product portfolio every year. It will use its industry-leading innovation capability to further enhance foods and beverages for children with even more fruits, vegetables, fiber-rich grains and micronutrients. Nestlé will also continue to reduce sugars, salt and saturated fats. Some recent product launches include Gerber Grabbers Strong Veggies vegetable and fruit purees, Nido organic milk powder and Nesquik Alphabet whole grain breakfast cereals with reduced sugar.
For over a decade, Nestlé has improved the nutritional value of its products. With ‘Nestlé for Healthier Kids’, the company pledges to continue this work for the long term. Its immediate goals by 2020 are to:
- Add at least 750 million portions (80g) of vegetables to its products;
- Add at least 300 million portions (16g) of fiber-rich grains, pulses, nuts & seeds to its products;
- Further reduce sugars by 5%. Since 2000, the company has reduced sugars by over 34%;
- Further reduce salt by 10%. Since 2005, the company has reduced salt by over 20%;
- Complete the commitment taken in 2014, to reduce saturated fats by 10% in all relevant products that do not meet WHO recommendations.
The company will also enhance programs and online services designed to provide parents and caregivers with more nutritional knowledge, healthy recipes and practical tips. In 2017, over 300 partnerships worldwide have helped the company reach more than 14 million children.
For more information on what Nestlé is doing for healthier kids: https://www.nestle.com/healthierkids
