An investor group representing US$21 trillion in AUM has backed global nonprofit the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI) in its call to use common standards to measure the healthiness of food portfolios at major corporations. The commitment follows a year of research and consultation conducted by ATNI, involving 86 experts from 14 countries across the investment community, the food industry, NGOs and academia. One in five deaths globally are associated with a poor diet, the ATNI claimed, adding that “as the hidden costs of the food system mount, the need for corporate accountability becomes greater than ever”. The nonprofit insisted that investors and regulators needed universal and clear standards to measure baselines and progress on the industry’s transition to more nutritious product portfolios. “Nutrition is a key material topic for a wide range of businesses – from food and beverage companies to out-of-home,” said Frank Wagemans, Senior Investment Specialist at Achmea Investment Management. “Until now, it was almost impossible for investors to compare the healthiness of product portfolios between companies.” Up to 400 different nutrient profile models (NPMs) are currently being used sporadically to measure the healthiness of food products and portfolios. To address the lack of standardised nutrition performance measurements, ATNI conducted research starting in June 2023 – funded by The Pictet Group Foundation. A three-round Delphi process also facilitated cross-sectoral stakeholder alignment. ATNI found three government-endorsed NPMs as most appropriate for future investor reporting – Health Star Rating (HSR), Nutri-Score, and the UK NPM. “This [should] enables us, as investors, to assess, compare and engage companies on this topic and will be a building block for reporting standards such as GRI, SASB and the CSRD requirements,” said Wagemans.
