By Caroline Boden
Director of Shareholder Advocacy, Mercy Investment Services

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger identifies ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030 and ensuring access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food for everyone. The Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI), which advocates for healthier and more affordable food products, released the fifth edition of its Global Index at the end of 2024, assessing how 30 of the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturers are improving access to healthy foods. 

The 2024 Global Index, based on updated and strengthened methodology, noted several key findings since the 2021 edition: 

•    Healthier products, as defined by the Health Star Rating Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) system, account for 34% of sales – a small improvement from the last index, but below the 2030 target of 50%.
•    Some 30% of companies now use internationally recognized NPMs to assess and benchmark the healthiness of their portfolios for reporting and target-setting, which standardizes reporting for investors and other stakeholders.
•    37% of companies established age thresholds for product marketing and are marketing more responsibly to children.
•    30% of companies now have an affordable nutrition strategy.
•    Food product healthiness in low- and middle-income countries scored much lower than high-income countries, highlighting disparities in product offerings across different markets.

The Portfolio Advisory Board will use this data in ongoing engagements with food and beverage companies ranked in the index. For example, an engagement with Campbell’s will address improving the healthiness of the company’s products; benchmarking its portfolios against internationally recognized NPMs to improve disclosure and data standardization; marketing responsibly, especially to children; and improving access and affordability of healthier products. 

Since the 2024 Global Index was released, Campbell’s remains one of the few companies that reports on the affordability of its nutrition-focused foods and overall portfolio. The PAB will continue to engage companies such as Campbell’s to ensure that all consumers have access to quality and affordable healthy food.