ATNi Report: Less Healthy Food and Beverage Companies in LMICs

• A report by ATNi, a non-profit global foundation, reveals that leading multinational food and beverage companies sell products that are less healthy in LMICs compared to high-income countries.

• The report, the fifth edition of the ‘Global Access to Nutrition Index’, assesses 30 of the world’s largest F&B manufacturers, 23% of the global F&B market, on their performance to improve access to nutritious foods.

• The report analyzed 52,414 products using a health star rating system, which ranks products out of 5 on their healthiness.

• The system assesses components of food considered to increase risk (energy, saturated fat, total sugars, sodium) and offsets these against components considered to decrease risk (protein, fibre and fruit, vegetable, nut and legume).

• The report found that ‘portfolio healthiness’ was found to be lowest in LMICs, highlighting disparities in products offered across different markets.

• Only 30% of companies have demonstrated a strategy to price some of their ‘healthier’ products affordably for lower income consumers.

• The report also found that in LMICs, micronutrient data were available for a smaller proportion of products compared to those in HICs.

• The report highlights the need for policymakers and governments to introduce mandatory policies to ensure widespread and strong nutrition-related performance.