The world’s largest consumer food and beverages company Nestle has been facing criticism after an internal presentation revealed that a majority of its mainstream food and beverages portfolio is unhealthy.
In the internal document, the company said that 60% of its food and drinks portfolio — barring categories such as pet food, baby formula and coffee — do not meet the recognised definition of health. It also acknowledged the fact that some of its food products will “never be healthy”.
The company is on a damage control mode now and said that it is updating its nutrition and health strategy. The global food brand said it was looking at its entire portfolio to make sure that its products meet nutritional needs.
The food company said that the sodium and sugar content in its product saw a reduction by about at least 14-15% in the past seven years.
Maggi noodles in India:
Between June 5 and September 1, 2015, nearly 38,000 tonnes of Maggi Noodles were taken off the shelves of retail stores across the country and destroyed. Maggi’s share in the Indian market went down from 80% to zero. It nearly threatened the existence of Nestle India as Maggi sales contributed to over 25% revenues of the Swiss company’s India unit.
Boycott in the US:
Nestle was accused of discouraging mothers from breastfeeding and suggesting that their baby formula is healthier, despite there being no proven evidence. This led to a boycott of its products in the United States in 1977 and subsequently spread into Europe. The boycott was officially suspended in the US in 1984, after Nestle agreed to follow an international marketing code endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO).