More Than 60% Of Nestle Products From Harlem To Hawaii Rate As ‘Unhealthy,’ Company Says

June 1, 2021

During an internal presentation, Nestle said that only 37% of its food and beverage products meet an internationally recognized health standard. The news, first reported by the Financial Times, means that more than 60% of the company’s products don’t have a rating of over 3.5 (out of 5) on Australia’s health star rating system.

“Some of our categories and products will never be ‘healthy’ no matter how much we renovate,” the company said in the presentation.

Overall, 70% of Nestle’s food products and 96% of its beverages (with the exception of its pure coffee) don’t qualify as “healthy” per Australia’s rating system.

The company revealed that 99% of the products in its confectionery and ice cream portfolio don’t meet the standard.

However, Nestle says it’s filling a consumer need that isn’t going away anytime soon.

In September, CEO Mark Schneider told Bloomberg that “confectionery and chocolate address a deep human need and are going to be here to stay.”

Underperforming on health rating systems

The company said it’s focusing on improving its nutrition strategy, but it’s not using Australia’s Health Star Rating and Nutri-Score. A company spokesperson said these systems don’t capture everything.

“About half of our sales are not covered by these systems,” the spokesperson said. “That includes categories such as infant nutrition, specialized health products and pet food, which follow regulated nutrition standards.”

Nestle said it’s made “significant improvements” to its products over the past two decades — for example, by reducing the sugars and sodium in its products. The spokesperson said it’s reduced these components about 14-15% in the past 7 years alone.

However, its portfolio still “underperforms against external definitions of health in a landscape where regulatory pressure and consumer demands are skyrocketing,” the company’s presentation noted reports Consumer Affairs.

“We believe that a healthy diet means finding a balance between well-being 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,” the spokesperson said.

Most unhealthy products

The presentation revealed some of the most unhealthy products that Nestle puts out:

  • Hot Pockets pepperoni pizza. One serving contains 48% of the daily sodium allowance.
  • DiGiorno’s three meat croissant crust pizza. One serving contains 40% of the daily sodium allowance.
  • Orange-flavored San Pellegrino drink. The beverage has 7.1g of sugar per 100 ml.
  • Nesquik’s strawberry-flavored milk powder. The beverage, which the company touts in advertising as “perfect at breakfast to get kids ready for the day,” has 14g of sugar in a 14g serving.

For more information, regarding health concerns in Harlem click here.


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Harlem World Magazine, 2521 1/2 west 42nd street, Los Angeles, CA, 90008, https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
We're your source for local coverage, we count on your support. SPONSOR US!
Your support is crucial in maintaining a healthy democracy and quality journalism. With your contribution, we can continue to provide engaging news and free access to all.
accepted credit cards

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles