WBCSD has played a leadership role in the Nutrition for Growth Summit by co-chairing the N4G Business Constituency Group (BCG) and representing the private sector on the N4G Advisory Group. WBCSD led the development of the Responsible Corporate Pledge for Better Nutrition where he worked with BCG. This pledge is expected to receive a large number of pledges at the N4G Summit. The statement below reflects her N4G activities and commitment of all her BCG members.
Statement by business stakeholder group
Nutrition for Growth (N4G) was founded at Unilever's headquarters in 2013, reflecting the company's ambition from the beginning to help fight malnutrition. However, in 2013, there were few concrete business initiatives and they were ad hoc.
2021 is different. why? Two years ago, the Dutch and Japanese governments supported a conference of business leaders in The Hague and launched a joint effort by businesses to support N4G, to eradicate malnutrition and ensure that everyone, everywhere, can realize their potential. We drove greater action to help people reach their full potential. Six major business organizations – Food Industry Asia (FIA), The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA), SUN Business Network (SBN), Nutrition Japan Public Private Platform (NJPPP), and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) – established the N4G Business Constituency Group (BCG). The Nutrition Access Initiative (ATNI) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) supported this working group. The working group itself was a “first,” bringing together a variety of organizations toward a common goal.
Its goal is to recognize that without action from the companies that grow, manufacture, distribute, and sell food to consumers, we will never address most of the fundamental problems at the core of malnutrition, The aim was to identify ways in which we could support efforts to tackle forms of malnutrition. . BCG's efforts focus on his second thematic area of the N4G Summit, “Diet: Building Food Systems that Promote Healthy Eating and Nutrition,” and between the United Nations Food Systems Summit and his N4G We provide a strong bridge. The leaders of the two Summits have worked together to advance the nutrition agenda and achieve deeper and more inclusive food system transformation, as set out in this joint statement.
BCG has jointly developed five areas of SMART commitments. These will be presented as his contribution to N4G in Tokyo and highlight his BCG commitment to improving nutrition globally.
first: Responsible Business Pledge for Better Nutrition (RBP): Developed by WBCSD and IFBA with support from the broader Business Constituency Group, the RBP is a framework to enable private sector leadership and smart commitments for the N4G Summit. Fully aligned with the N4G Commitment Creation Guide and Engagement Principles, it requires business leaders to make nutrition a board-level priority and requires each signatory company to commit to at least three N4G commitments across several core commitment areas. We are asking you to make three SMART commitments. Business models and operations: nutrition smart agriculture, product reformulation and innovation for improved nutrition, business model innovation for improved nutrition, responsible marketing, promotion of healthy eating, employee nutrition, for improved nutrition. finance and investment. On his first day of the N4G Summit, WBCSD will share an overview of his history and activities of BCG and the development of RBP. Some of WBCSD member companies' recent nutrition initiatives can be viewed here.
2nd: new investor union: This sets investor expectations regarding corporate governance, strategy, lobbying, and transparency for food and beverage manufacturers and retailers. With support from ATNI, 76 investors representing $16.6 trillion in assets under management signed the Investor Expectations on Nutrition, Diet, and Health and joined the coalition. On the first day of the N4G Summit, a coalition of investors will be introduced by Japanese investment firm Resona Asset Management.
Number 3: What International Food and Beverage Alliance member companies are working on New global nutrition initiative as part of the Responsible Business Declaration. The first new initiative is about salt reduction. The IFBA has set new global targets for maximum sodium content in processed foods across approximately 40 food subcategories for 2025 and 2030. Each IFBA company is committed to achieving these goals across key categories that account for at least 75% of the company's sales. This is the first time a collective voluntary global sodium content target has been set in the private sector. Second, IFBA has developed an enhanced global responsible marketing policy. Under this policy, IFBA companies must limit the products they sell to children under 13 to those that meet a specific set of nutritional criteria. Or, refrain from marketing to children under 13 altogether. This is the minimum global standard that all IFBA companies are committed to complying with as of 2022. IFBA will elaborate on these commitments in a thematic session on Food Systems for Healthy Eating on Day 2 of the N4G Summit.
the 4th: Workforce Nutrition AllianceCo-led by CGF and GAIN, it helps employers implement and scale employee nutrition programs. This will affect his 3 million employees in organizations and supply chains by 2025. The most recent signatory, Google, will announce the Workforce Nutrition Alliance on the first day of the N4G Summit.
Fifth: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): SUN Business Network is committed to: Raising awareness of the role of SMEs in nutrition and strengthening their capacity to provide nutritious food with the support of partners. These commitments include hiring 3,000 small businesses across Africa, Asia and Latin America by the end of 2024. SBN will announce these commitments during the Food Systems for Healthy Eating session on day two of the N4G Summit.
Underpinning these efforts are actions by hundreds of companies to change their business models, practices, and operations. Ajinomoto provides an example of what Japanese companies are doing to address malnutrition in all its forms. Google, DSM and Unilever will share further international examples of nutrition leadership during the N4G Summit. These changes, reflected in his SMART initiatives, result in massive market shifts that benefit billions of consumers in all societies.
Another field is nutritional fortification. This helps increase nutritional resilience. Improving financing for small and medium-sized businesses. Tackling the anemic deficit – Businesses are the key players. The Private Sector Zero Hunger Pledge, born out of the United Nations Food Systems Summit, has collected pledges worth a total of $400 million from more than 40 companies working with the United Nations and development agencies, and is raising impact alongside government spending and aid. This is yet another example of how to expand the dollar.
There is no room for complacency. A series of difficult challenges lie ahead of us. Over the past two years, figures for overweight and obesity, hunger, micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition due to people unable to afford healthy food have worsened, and food has become increasingly vulnerable to the effects of poverty, underdevelopment, climate and environmental degradation. It has become the epicenter of many related problems. These are best tackled together, and the Business Constituency Group looks forward to continuing dialogue with government and civil society on how best to do this. BCG is committed to positive change, but we can't achieve the needed impact alone. Let's work together to improve nutrition as part of a sustainable food system.
This statement is written on behalf of all Business Constituency Group members, the Nutrition Access Initiative (ATNI). Consumer Goods Forum (CGF); Food Industries of Asia (FIA); Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN); International Food and Beverage Federation (IFBA). Nutrition Japan Public-Private Platform (NJPPP). Sun Business Network (SBN). World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
