Tastier & healthier

Driven by our company purpose – unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come – we are focusing on ensuring that our products enable healthier lives.

Enhancing the taste and nutritional profile of our products

Micronutrient fortification

In Sri Lanka, iron, vitamin A, vitamin D and calcium are prevailing micronutrient deficiencies. *34% of Sri Lankan children between six months and five years are deficient in iron, while **29% and *48% of children in the same age group are deficient in vitamin A and calcium respectively. ***13% of school adolescents (10-18 years) are vitamin D deficient, while ***46% are found to have vitamin D insufficiency. Therefore, we are enriching our products that are widely and regularly consumed, with iron, vitamin A, vitamin D and calcium.

We are also enriching our portfolio with other vitamins and minerals including vitamin B, C, D and zinc where relevant.

In 2022, we provided 833 million servings of micronutrient enriched Nestlé products to our consumers.

Reducing public health sensitive nutrients

Non communicable diseases (NCDs) are estimated to account for ****83% of all deaths in Sri Lanka and nearly 1 in 5 (****17%) has a risk of premature death due to NCDs. We therefore voluntarily reduce public health sensitive nutrients – like sugar, salt, fat and saturated fat - in our products whilst ensuring that the taste our consumers love remains unchanged.

In 2021, we have voluntarily cut down 24% of saturated fat from our product portfolio and since 2014, we have reduced around 500 metric tonnes of sucrose from our beverage products.

We are also enriching our portfolio with other vitamins and minerals including vitamin B, C, and zinc where relevant.

Adding positive ingredients

To promote the consumption of fruits, vegetables and other positive ingredients in peoples’ diets, we have supplemented our products with fruits, vegetables, spices and fibre-rich grains where relevant.

The 60/40+ programme

Our 60/40+ initiative ensures that all our products meet rigorous standards for nutrition, and obtain consumer preference on taste and other sensorial parameters. Products are blind tested with consumer panels and at least 60 out of 100 people must prefer our product over our competitor’s. The ‘+’ refers to the added nutritional benefit in the product.

Nestlé Nutritional Profiling

To assess and improve the nutritional value of our products, we use the Nestlé Nutritional Profiling System, which is based on dietary intake recommendations issued by authorities such as the World Health Organisation. We’ve progressively applied the system to Nestlé products worldwide since 2004. It specifies the product category and its roles in the diet, which nutrients to limit (sugar, salt, fat) or encourage (fibre, vegetables, micronutrients), the target age groups (children or adults), and serving size.