Nutrition information and responsible marketing

We have an important role to play in guiding people to adopt a balanced diet.

We aim to use clear labeling and responsible marketing that promote healthy lifestyles to communicate transparently about our ingredients and the nutritional composition of our products.

We advertise our products according to strict guidelines, especially when it comes to how we promote breast-milk substitutes and how we communicate to children.

In addition, we provide the information people need to make conscious decisions and purchases, supporting them in making more sustainable choices that affect how they live and the health of the planet.

With this information, they can understand how their decisions can make a difference and help ensure our ability to feed future generations in nutritious ways.

Providing clear labelling

We provide comprehensive and transparent information about ingredients and nutritional composition on our packaging.

To guide responsible consumption, we provide information and services to help people make healthier choices as part of a balanced diet.

Government-endorsed front-of-pack nutritional labeling

Wherever possible, we provide additional, voluntary nutritional information, such as Nutri-Score, in a number of countries in Europe. Independent researchers developed the Nutri-Score front-of-pack scheme and several European countries accept it.

Portion guidance

How much people eat can be as important as what they eat. Launched in 2013, the Nestlé Portion Guidance initiative aims to help consumers understand what constitutes an appropriate portion of our products.

To help people enjoy our products as part of a balanced diet, we’ve created The Backstory, our new on-pack communication system. It allows our brands to tell purpose-driven stories on the back of our packs while better organizing all required product information. Together, this ensures transparent nutritional information and provides portion guidance.

Recipes and guidance

Recently, our scientists have developed a new way of expressing the nutritional quality of meals.

Called MyMenu IQ, it ranks the nutritional balance of meals on a scale of 0 to 100. The tool is available on 30 websites in different countries.

The aim is to analyze recipes on Nestlé websites to help people improve the nutritional quality of their meals by suggesting different food combinations.

Marketing responsibly

Adopting sound eating habits from childhood is key to a healthy life and evidence suggests that exposure to food and beverage advertising in early stages of life can affect what and when children eat. Through education and responsible marketing practices, we believe brands can help gatekeepers make informed choices about the balanced diets children need to achieve their full potential. In support of this, we have taken voluntary measures on responsible marketing to children for many years. You can read more about our responsible marketing to children practices in our policy (pdf, 2Mb). In 2023, as part of our efforts to help bring tasty and balanced diets within reach for people around the world, we are strengthening our industry-leading responsible marketing practices, by placing additional restrictions on paid media advertising to prevent children under 16 from being exposed to paid media advertising of categories such as confectionery, ice cream or sweet and savory biscuits. Additionally, we commit not to collect any personal data from minors for the purpose of serving marketing communications and only partner with social media influencers over the age of 18.

In addition, we keep leading the way by publishing our annual compliance report on our policy for implementing the WHO Code on the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.

This report provides insight into our robust WHO Code compliance system and highlights that when cases of non-compliance are discovered we take swift action to address them.

Sharing nutrition insights

We help promote healthy diets and lifestyles by sharing information and guidance about how to achieve a balanced diet, age-appropriate portions and nutritious home cooking.

Teaching children about nutrition

Our Nutriplato initiative has been helping to bring a balanced diet within reach of thousands of people in several European countries including France, Italy, Romania and Spain, and in Latin America, over the last five years.

The principle is that meals should contain a large portion of vegetables, a protein-rich food (meat, eggs, fish, lentils or beans) and a portion of either whole grain pasta, brown rice or potatoes. The Nutriplato kit helps people visualize how much food from each of these food groups they should aim to eat. It consists of a plate illustrated to show the space each food group should take up, and a booklet containing science-based nutritional guidance and seasonal recipes that are quick and easy to prepare.

Tapping into the cultural zeitgeist

Our health science podcast, ’Nutrition Unlocked,’ is sponsored by Nestlé Health Science and features special guests from academic and research institutions.

These experts talk about some of the latest advances in nutrition knowledge. They offer tips about and insights into improving nutrition and leading healthier lives, as well as provide a glimpse into the future of each subject. Topics so far have examined food allergies and the microbiome.

Supporting young chefs to think more healthily

The Nestlé Professional team, which is our division that works with the food service industry, collaborates with students from the Culinary Arts Academy in Switzerland to promote healthier diets and lifestyles.

The academy is one of the world’s top culinary schools and we use our expertise in nutrition and sustainability to set this next generation of chefs a variety of creative cooking challenges. The team has published a booklet about sustainability for children called ’Healthy Food for the Future’.