No leading food company has yet produced a comprehensive social
responsibility programme on health and obesity, according to a new
study.
The analysis of 25 multinationals by Insight Investment and the
International Business Leaders’ Forum has found progress generally slow
despite the ‘strengthening imperative for companies to raise their
game’ in the area of consumer health. Pockets of good practice exist
but ‘no one company has yet adopted and fully communicated publicly a
comprehensive response, applied in all markets, for all products and
divisions’.
The report, A recipe for success,
says manufacturers ‘seem to be more engaged and more advanced’ than
food service companies or retailers, and that listed companies have
‘more fully developed responses’ than private businesses.
However, none of the 25 companies assessed, which included Cadbury
Schweppes, Kraft, Unilever, Tesco and McDonalds, had yet conveyed
clear objectives applicable to the whole business, or a strategy to
achieve them. Furthermore, few companies had set targets and fewer had
produced key performance indicators. Insight and the IBLF said food
companies should, as soon as possible, publish indicators on areas such
as their annual research and development spending on ‘healthier’
products and the proportion of products containing transfats.
Both organizations claim most companies have failed to start accounting
for consumer health concerns in their core business activities or to
adopt policies at board level. They say ‘further thinking and action’
on responsible marketing, especially to children, is needed, and that
companies should invite their critics to join formal advisory panels or
work in partnership with consumer groups.
The World Health Organization says a billion adults are overweight, and
at least 300 million of these clinically obese. The IBLF and Insight
recognize that companies do not have sole responsibility, but say
action is needed now to protect revenues, ensure consumer trust, and
avoid regulation and costly, brand-damaging litigation.
