Every third person on earth is either overweight or underweight. This is the result of the “Access to Nutrition Index” of the independent “Access to Nutrition Foundation” (ATNF) from the Netherlands.

The consequential damage of being overweight, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer, caused damage to the economy of 2 trillion US dollars worldwide in 2014, which corresponds to 3 percent of global gross domestic product. According to the study, 2 billion people worldwide are overweight.

On the other hand, 800 million people do not have enough to eat. But even people who actually have enough on their plate can experience “hidden hunger” if the food doesn’t contain enough micronutrients. Around 2 billion people in the world are affected by this type of malnutrition.

The report, published on January 13, 2016, examines the impact of multinational food companies on the world’s food supply: How healthy are the food companies? Are they getting too much sugar, too much salt, or too much fat? Are they cheap enough for poor people to be able to afford them? Does the food provide enough essential nutrients? And: To what extent are the companies working together with governments and organizations to combat the imbalance in global nutrition?

The ranking of the corporations

The ATNF creates a ranking based on their evaluations. First place: The Unilever group, which includes Knorr, Langnese, and Bertolli, followed by Nestlé (including Buitoni, Herta, Kit Kat) and Danone.

As justification, an official statement from the ATNF states that the three leading companies have made a clear commitment to solving global nutritional issues and are putting this into practice with various measures. Nevertheless, “all the companies examined still have a long way to go”.

Inge Kauer, Managing Director of the ATNF, said: “Precisely because of the worldwide distribution of their products, food, and beverage companies have a responsibility when it comes to combating malnutrition and malnutrition.” However, the trend toward healthier food is not for the companies not only a matter of social responsibility but also an opportunity for development, because “more and more consumers around the world want to eat healthier food.”

About the Access to Nutrition Index

The Access to Nutrition Index is compiled by the non-profit Access to Nutrition Foundation (ATNF). The organization, based in the Netherlands, examines the extent to which the major food companies influence the world’s nutrition and ranks the behavior of the food giants according to certain parameters, such as how healthy and how accessible the food from each company is. ATNF’s work is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. You can read a summary of the report here.