Hindustan Unilever, Nestle share top spot among 16 firms on nutrition index

FMCG majors HUL and Nestle have been jointly ranked first in the industry for their approach to nutrition in the 'India Access to Nutrition Spotlight Index'.

They were followed by food and beverages major PepsiCo India, Britannia Industries and Coca-Cola India.

The index is published by Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI) and hosted by Access to Nutrition Foundation, an international not-for-profit organisation.

ATNI report is published once in every three years and this is the second edition of India Spotlight Index. India was selected as a spotlight country as it has a rapidly developing food and beverages sector, a statement said.

The initiative is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the governments of the UK and the Netherlands.

This season, 16 largest companies in India's food and beverage sector were assessed with the aim to encourage these companies to improve their nutrition practices, it added.

The other companies were Amul, Mondelez India, Mother Dairy, Parle Products, AAVIN, Adani Wilmar, Emami Agrotech, Hatsun Agro Product, ITC, Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (Nandini) and Marico Limited.

"ATNI sees food and beverage companies in India showing their commitment to provide healthy food and engaging in a dialogue on how to support India's Eat Right Movement," ATNI Executive Director Inge Kauer said.

Lifestyle changes in India have caused a shift in consumer habits -- from the consumption of traditional food, to more urban food habits consisting of packaged and processed foods, high in sugar, fat and salt.

"In fact, India is among the top 10 consumers of fast food in the world. This, coupled with the fact that India is set to become the third largest consumer economy, presents an enormous opportunity for food and beverage companies to make nutrition a core part of their business plans, and to adopt comprehensive, public and commercial strategies to address issues related to the double burden of malnutrition in India," she said.