Positive Nutrition

Today’s food consumption patterns are driving a global health crisis, with the coexistence of undernutrition, overnutrition and obesity. Businesses have a key role to play in addressing these challenges and meet the need for nutritious, sustainable, safe, convenient, affordable and accessible food.

The Challenge

Globally, micronutrient deficiency affects more than 2 billion people, with the developing world shouldering most of the burden. At the same time, around 2 billion adults are overweight, of whom 600 million are obese. This “double burden of malnutrition” results in several health complications. While the processing of food is critical to providing access to desirable, affordable and safe food while minimizing food loss and waste, the nutritional quality and sustainability impact of processed and packaged foods must be urgently improved.

The Business Case

Demand for products that create net-positive impacts for health and the environment is a major growth driver for food companies. New market opportunities are arising daily, and investors are developing solutions needed to finance the emerging food and land-use economy. Food reformulation can help maintain taste, functionality, and safety, while optimizing for gains in sustainability, nutritional quality, affordability, and accessibility. Food fortification – one dimension of reformulation – plays a critical role in increasing access to essential micronutrients, especially among vulnerable populations. Redesigning menus and products can help balance diets by showing consumers how healthy and sustainable food is delicious, supporting their busy lives and dietary preferences.

The Business Solution

Our goal is to optimize the overall nutrition quality, sustainability, affordability and accessibility of foods in all food systems through the development of tools, sharing of best practices, and collective action. We support food companies as they evolve their product portfolios, menus and food offerings to improve nutrient composition and sustainability attributes, and ensure widespread accessibility and affordability of healthy and sustainable options.