Nestle ’s internal document reveals that 60% of its own products are unhealthy

Food producer Nestle ’s, known for many of its famous Maggi noodles, KitKat chocolates and Nescafe coffee admits that more than 60% – 70% of its own products do not meet the definitions of health, further admitting that some of its products will never be healthy no matter how much they are renovated.

According to UK’s Financial Times, a presentation shared among its board members in 2021 says that only 37% of its products excluding medical supplements and pet foods have passed the 3.5 or higher health star rating system of Australia.

The company considers rating 3.5 stars as the recognised definition of health based on a 5-star scale rating used by international groups as benchmark. Out of all its drinks and foods portfolio, 70% of its products failed to make the cut-off and including 90% of its beverages excluding pure coffee products.

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On the other hand, water products and dairy products of Nestle fared well above the recommended threshold number for defining health, 82% and 60% respectively. The presentation further said that:

“We have made significant improvements to our products . . .[but] our portfolio still underperforms against external definitions of health in a landscape where regulatory pressure and consumer demands are skyrocketing,” 

However, the presentation does not talk about any of Nestle’s other products like baby foods, pet foods, coffees and health and science division of Nestle that makes products for people with specific medical conditions.

It is notable that the products that Nestle’s talked about in the presentation alone accounts to €84.35 billion of its total revenues. After the publishing of the FT report, nestle said that it is working on a companywide project to upgrade its portfolio of products to make sure they meet the recommended health standards throughout the world.

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Nestle India spokesperson said: “Nestlé India believes that nutrition is a fundamental need and their food industry has a vital role to play in enabling lives healthier driven by purpose, constantly striving to increase the nutrient profile of our products and innovate with new and nutritious offerings.”