Glossary
Active ingredients: the components of a food or beverage product that have a direct effect on the human body, by improving digestive health, increasing immunity, aiding weight management, boosting physical and mental development, etc.
Bifidobacteria: naturally occurring gut bacteria that “educate” the immune system and reduce the risk of infections and allergies. (See also Prebiotics and Probiotics.)
“The Big 8”: the eight macronutrient categories required for a complete Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) table on a European Nestlé product where a health or nutrition claim is made. The eight categories are energy, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, sugars, saturated fats, sodium and fibres.
Body Mass Index (BMI): a measurement of the relative percentages of fat and muscle mass in the human body, which is used as an index of obesity.
Branded Active Benefits: physiologically active food components developed by Nestlé that provide clinically proven complementary health benefits that go beyond the natural nutrient content of the food products to which they are added.
Calorie control: managing body weight by consuming food and beverage products with a low or limited energy (calorie) content.
Cardiovascular disease: diseases affecting the heart or blood vessels.
Cholesterol: a white crystalline substance, found in food and animal tissues food, that is normally synthesised by the liver, and forms an important constituent of cell membranes. High cholesterol levels can contribute to a number of medical conditions, most notably cardiovascular disease.
Chronic disease: a long-lasting, persistent or recurrent medical condition such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
Developed world: countries that have achieved a high level of industrialisation or economic development, which (usually) translates into high per capita income.
Developing world: countries with low per capita income levels and low levels of industrialisation.
Diabetes: a metabolic disorder, usually occurring in genetically predisposed individuals, in which an insulin imbalance results in excessive amounts of glucose in the blood and urine, excessive thirst and weight loss. Type I (insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes) is a severe form that usually results in dependence on externally administered insulin, and typically occurs before the age of 25, while Type II (non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes) is a milder form, exacerbated by obesity, and often managed through diet and exercise.
Disease burden: the impact of a health problem on a defined area, as measured by financial cost, mortality, morbidity or other indicators.
Food security: when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Also known as nutrition security.
Fortification: the addition of micronutrients, such as iron, zinc, iodine and calcium, to food products, to overcome prevalent dietary deficiencies in a target population.
Glycemia: a high concentration of glucose in the blood, often associated with diabetes.
Macronutrients: nutritional components of the diet that are required in relatively large amounts, such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
Malnutrition: poor nutrition caused by an insufficient, over-sufficient or poorly balanced diet, or by medical conditions that cause the inadequate digestion or utilisation of food.
Microflora: intestinal bacteria that colonise the gut during a natural birth, helping to fight allergies and infections in new-borns.
Micronutrients: substances such as vitamins or minerals that, in very small amounts, are essential for the proper growth and metabolism of a living organism.
Minerals: inorganic elements obtained from food, such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and sodium, that are essential to the functioning of the human body.
Mycotoxin: a toxin produced by a fungus that contaminates cereal grains, legumes and other food crops.
Non-communicable diseases: diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, that are not infectious or contagious, and usually result from genetic or lifestyle factors.
Nutrigenomics: the study of how food and diet interact with specific genes in the body to increase the risk of certain diseases.
Nutrition: the scientific study of food and drink, especially in humans.
Obesity: the condition of being very overweight, usually caused by an excessive accumulation of fat as a result of over-nutrition.
Peptides: chemical compounds composed of a chain of two or more amino acids. Many hormones and antibiotics are peptides.
Popularly Positioned Products (PPP): affordable Nestlé products that provide lower-income consumers, often in the developing world, with nutritional value at a reduced cost through the application of the latest nutrition technology and new distribution models.
Portion control: using an understanding of how big a serving size is, and how many calories it contains, as part of a weight management programme.
Prebiotic: a non-digestible food ingredient that selectively stimulates bifidobacteria in the colon to improve digestive health. Traditional dietary sources of prebiotics include soybeans, Jerusalem artichoke, chicory root and unrefined oats, wheat and barley.
Probiotic: dietary supplements and live micro-organisms containing potentially beneficial bacteria, cultures or yeasts that assist the bacteria that naturally occur in the digestive tract.
Proteins: a class of complex organic chemical compounds that play a central role in biological processes and form the basis of living tissue. Enzymes, antibodies and haemoglobin are all proteins.
Public health sensitive components: factors that affect the general health of the population at large.
Recipe innovation: product development based on the introduction of new products.
Recipe renovation: product development based on the improvement of existing products.
Vitamins: various water- or fat-soluble organic compounds, often found naturally in food, needed in small amounts for normal growth and body function. Most water-soluble vitamins (e.g. vitamin B12) aid metabolic processes and are excreted rapidly, while fat-soluble vitamins (e.g. vitamins A, D and E) are necessary for the function or structural integrity of specific tissues and membranes, and are retained in the body.