PARIS, March 6, 2015 – The Consumer Goods Forum (the “CGF”) has published the results of its latest report, which uniquely benchmarks industry progress in improving health and wellness for consumers worldwide. With 38 million people dying each year from non-communicable diseases that can result from unhealthy diets, CGF member companies aim to empower consumers to make healthier choices. The report, conducted by Deloitte, highlights that some of the world’s leading consumer retailers and manufacturers represented by the CGF are increasingly placing investment to support better nutrition, personal care and increased hygiene to improve lifestyles.
The second edition of The Consumer Goods Forum Health and Wellness Progress Report shows significant improvement has been made in the industry highlighting in 2014 more than:
22,500 products were developed or adapted by CGF members to support healthier diets
91 million consumers were reached through education programmes to help them make more informed decisions
47,000 school communities were partnered with to inform children about healthier diets and lifestyles
The report, which comprises feedback from 63 top consumer goods retailers and manufacturers, outlines how far CGF members have come with regards to implementation of its Health & Wellness Resolutions (“the Resolutions”) adopted in 2011. The CGF’s Resolutions commit members to support healthier diets and lifestyles, provide more information to consumers and help raise consumer awareness on health and wellbeing to inspire healthier lifestyles.
95% of members have already established policies and 97% activated programmes on at least one of the Resolutions; and a further 78% are already communicating publically about at least one. The CGF’s Health & Wellness Steering Committee is led by representatives of brands including Nestlé, L’Oréal, Coca Cola and Tesco.
Peter Freedman, Managing Director of the Consumer Goods Forum, commented: “Retailers and manufacturers have made a good start in helping consumers live healthier lives. But the scale of the challenge facing humanity keeps getting bigger. The Consumer Goods Forum is uniquely positioned to help our members rise to that challenge by working collaboratively together and helping drive positive actions globally.”
The findings comes as the CGF just launched an independent External Scientific Advisory Council (the “Council”), which will advise the CGF’s Health & Wellness practice and counsel on emerging issues and trends to accelerate achievement of the Resolutions. The Council will also support the CGF’s mission of empowering consumers worldwide to adopt healthier lifestyles through a culture of prevention and multi-stakeholder collaborations. The five Council members*, who are renowned experts and work on a voluntary basis from around the world, have been selected for their global perspective in matters relating to health and wellness including endocrinology, diabetes, paediatrics, medicine, marketing and communication.
The Consumer Goods Forum (“The CGF”) is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 2.5 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises 50 manufacturer and retailer CEOs.
The CGF’s mission is, “Bringing together consumer goods manufacturers and retailers in pursuit of business practices for efficiency and positive change across our industry benefiting shoppers, consumers and the world without impeding competition”. It provides a unique global platform for the development of global industry processes and standards as well as sharing best practices. Its activities are organised around the following strategic priorities: Sustainability, Product Safety, Health & Wellness, and End-to-End Value Chain & Standards, each of which is central to better serving consumers.
The CGF’s success is driven by the active participation of its members who together develop and lead the implementation of best practices along the value chain. With its headquarters in Paris and regional offices in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, the CGF serves its members throughout the world. For more information, please visit: www.theconsumergoodsforum.com.
