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Launch of the 2016 Access to Nutrition Index
On 22 January 2016, during the World Economic Forum, the 2016 Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI) was launched at an event where participants discussed where progress has been made and where gaps remain since the 2013 Global Index was published. The ATNI is based on…
February 8, 2016 - Last update: July 4, 2022
Click to download the full report (English)
On 22 January 2016, during the World Economic Forum, the 2016 Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI) was launched at an event where participants discussed where progress has been made and where gaps remain since the 2013 Global Index was published. The ATNI is based on the premise that companies can – and must – work alongside governments, international organizations and civil society to address the spiralling ‘double burden’ of undernutrition and obesity.
At the launch, a panel discussion reviewed how companies can step up their efforts on the global nutrition crisis, the panelists included:
- Fokko Wientjes (Vice-President, Sustainability and Public-Private Partnerships, DSM and member of the SUN Movement Executive Committee)
- Luis Cantrarell (Executive Vice President and Head of Zone Emena, Nestlé)
- Inge Kauer (Executive Director, Access To Nutrition Foundation)
- Ertharin Cousin (Executive Director, World Food Programme and member of the SUN Movement Lead Group)
Moderator: Marc Van Ameringen (Executive Director, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and member of the SUN Movement Executive Committee).
In addition to the launch at the World Economic Forum, an online launch was held on 14 January 2016 via WebEx and a high level event, exclusively for civil society, academia and international organisations, was held on 4 February 2016 in Washington, DC. The next ATNI will be launched in 2018.
The ATNI is published by the Access to Nutrition Foundation (ATNF), an independent non-profit organisation based in the Netherlands dedicated to objectively assessing and improving the contribution the private sector makes to addressing global nutrition challenges. The first ATNI was officially launched on 12 March 2013 following a rigorous multi-stakeholder development process which began in 2009. The main conclusion of the first report was that the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturers can do more to increase access to nutritious products and positively exercise their influence on consumer choice and behavior.
The 2016 Index ranks the world’s biggest 22 food and beverage companies on how far they are, among other things, producing healthier foods, making them more affordable and accessible and influencing consumer choice by marketing and labeling their products more responsibly. The 2016 ATNI also includes an assessment of the breast-milk substitute marketing practices of the six largest baby food companies.
The more comprehensive analysis of the breast-milk substitute (BMS) marketing practices of selected companies is in response to stakeholder criticisms of the limited approach taken in the 2013 Index. As a result, ATNF identified areas where guidance could be strengthened in order to improve stakeholders’ understanding of key issues and to facilitate scoring. With respect to promoting responsible BMS marketing in line with The Code and subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions, the ATNF is making suggestions to the World Health Organization on how it could strengthen its contribution. This includes clarifying further its definition of products covered by The Code, and clarifying definitions of terms used in The Code that may be interpreted differently by stakeholders. The ATNF is also encouraging the International Association of Formula Manufacturers (IFM) to strengthen the Rules of Responsible Conduct to bring them more fully into line with The Code and UNICEF and other stakeholders to update the Interagency Group 1 on Breastfeeding Monitoring Protocol in ways outlined in the report.
ATNF will seek to continue to encourage greater discussion among all BMS stakeholders on how the BMS industry – companies large and small in all markets – might pursue marketing practices fully in line with The Code and subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions. The ATNF will also partner with others to move the nutrition agenda forwards and ultimately to incorporate new guidance and consensus into the ATNI methodology for future Global Indexes.
Visit the Access to Nutrition website: Access to Nutrition.
