The Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI), a non-profit organisation, found that items from major multinational food companies, including Nestle, PepsiCo, and Unilever, often score lower on health quality when sold in poorer countries.
According to the reports, food products from over 30 countries were analysed, and these food companies are allegedly selling lower-quality products in low-income countries.
The health rating system, developed in Australia and New Zealand, ranks foods on a scale where a score above 3.5 is deemed healthy. While the average health score of products sold in high-income countries was 2.3, products in lower-income countries scored just 1.8.
ATNI’s research director, Mark Wijne, said that there is a need for governments to closely monitor food standards, noting that companies are actively selling more products in poorer regions that don’t meet healthy criteria.
The report by ATNi ends with “One in five deaths globally is linked to poor diet, highlighting the urgent need for greater corporate accountability and improved private sector performance as the hidden costs of our food system continue to mount.”
Consumer rights advocates are urging for stricter regulations and increased transparency from these multinational corporations to ensure that all consumers, have access to high-quality products, regardless of their market.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report over 70% of the world’s one billion individuals with obesity reside in low- and middle-income countries.
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