Nestlé document describes majority of firm’s food and drinks portfolio as unhealthy – FT

Nestlé has said in an internal document that more than 60% of its mainstream food and drinks portfolio does not meet a “recognised definition of health”, according to a report by the Financial Times.

The company says that it is working on updating its nutrition and health strategy after the Financial Times reported seeing a presentation that was circulated among top Nestlé executives earlier this year.

The food giant is also said to have acknowledged that “some of our categories and products will never be ‘healthy’ no matter how much we renovate”.

According to the Financial Times, the presentation said that only 37% of Nestlé’s food and beverages by revenues, achieve a rating above 3.5 under Australia’s health star rating system. The system scores foods out of five stars and Nestlé described the 3.5 star threshold as a “recognised definition of health”.

The newspaper says that the data excludes categories like infant formula, pet food, coffee and medical nutrition, and therefore accounts for about half of the company’s total annual revenues.

“Nestlé is working on a company-wide project to update its pioneering nutrition and health strategy,” said a Nestlé spokesperson.

“We are looking at our entire portfolio across the different phases of people’s lives to ensure our products are helping meet their nutritional needs and supporting a balanced diet.”

Nestlé claims to have reduced the sugars and sodium in its products by about 14-15% in the past seven years and that it has been working “over decades” to improve the nutritional footprint of its products.

The spokesperson added: “We believe that a healthy diet means finding a balance between wellbeing and enjoyment. This includes having some space for indulgent foods, consumed in moderation.

“Our direction of travel has not changed and is clear: we will continue to make our portfolio tastier and healthier.”