Nutrition must be at the heart of the Employee health plan

Danone has come a long way since I joined the company more than 30 years ago. We have always had a rich history in health – our founder originally sold yogurts with ferments in pharmacies in Spain to solve malnutrition in children. But over the years, as we grew as a company, our international work became unrecognizable compared to where we are today.

We’ve moved away from selling frozen pizzas, biscuits, and sauces, back to the original owners of health products – like yogurts, water, and plant-based foods and drinks. This has taken decades of time, energy and investment. In 1972, Danone’s World CEO at the time, Antoine Riboud, announced that the company’s responsibility did not end at the factory gate. We need to do more for the communities we serve – for us, that means products that lead to healthier food and nutrition for the community.

Because a healthy body with proper nutrition means a long, healthy life. However, for too long, nutrition has been a blind spot for us as a society. We don’t take it seriously enough, and that has to change.

If the government wants to make the NHS stronger, it needs to reduce the number of sick people to begin with. That must include combating obesity and malnutrition as part of a strong preventive health system, so that more people can stay healthy and active. With occupational illness costing the UK economy more than £100bn by 2023 it is clear that we cannot grow the economy until everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy life. There will need to be greater focus on the important role that nutrition plays in preventing illness in the government’s 10-year NHS plan.

At Danone, our interest in health and nutrition goes beyond the types of food and drink you can see on supermarket shelves. Our Nutricia brand produces food for people with special nutritional needs and for special medical purposes, helping to ensure that people can get the nutrients they need if they can’t just like food. This may include someone undergoing cancer treatment, someone who has recently had a stroke, or someone who has malnutrition related to the disease.

Our nurses also work directly in the community, supporting patients to manage their food supply at home safely and independently. Whether it’s a hospital or anywhere else, it’s clear to see that proper nutrition plays an important and important role in improving people’s lives. Now, the government must accept that value and create policies that support good nutrition for everyone.

Malnutrition and obesity – two sides of the same coin

Poor nutrition can lead to conditions such as obesity and malnutrition, both of which are on the rise. In 2022-23, 64 per cent of adults aged 18 and over in England were estimated to be overweight or obese. Whereas 2.9 million people in England have malnutrition linked to disease. Naturally, the health implications of both conditions are putting increasing pressure on our already strained NHS.

Research shows that obesity-related illnesses cost the NHS £6.5bn each year, while malnutrition costs health and social services £22.6bn. Both are costly but both are preventable. Maintaining a healthy diet is important at every stage of life. Poor diet is one of the biggest risk factors for preventable illness in the UK. As we age, the risk of being overweight or obese increases – and it can lead to serious health consequences such as diabetes or heart disease.

On the other hand, there are also risks of malnutrition – especially in the elderly or those managing long-term illnesses or health conditions. A lack of proper nutrition can lead to illness, physical weakness, mental retardation and malnutrition. However, many people do not have a good understanding of the nutrients they need in their diet to keep them healthy. Not even the fact that you can be fat and malnourished.

Malnutrition can be difficult to detect. It can be the result of diseases or long-term health conditions, as well as social and economic conditions. Around half a million people admitted to hospital each year in England have malnutrition linked to disease, but only 2 per cent receive a diagnosis. Early diagnosis and proper nutrition for patients can help reduce hospital stays, aid recovery, and prevent costly readmissions. Our research estimates that the additional medical costs of a malnourished person are more than three times that of a non-malnourished person. If we don’t tackle this problem, malnutrition-related disease is estimated to cost an extra £4bn by 2035.

It is clear that the government has an important role to play in nutrition. We need more screening for those at risk of malnutrition and better nutrition management in all areas of health care, and, in general, a greater focus on promoting healthy diets .

Industry must play a positive role

The food and beverage industry also has an important role to play in helping this change. As a nation, the UK eats a lot of unhealthy food, including foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), which are known to have negative health effects.

With so much information out there, people should feel confident in the decisions they make. Last year, Danone UK & Ireland launched – and continues to support – our commitment to leading health. This includes that at least 90 percent of our product portfolio by volume will not be HFSS, and we will not produce a children’s product that is HFSS.

But we want to see more transparency across the industry. Agreement on what constitutes “healthy food” before we can implement mandatory reporting for food and drink businesses. Then we may see new trends, and finally we will see healthy products on the shelves. We want the healthy choice to be the easy choice. But we cannot do it alone. And it takes time, research and investment for companies to change their products to reduce ingredients like sugar while maintaining good taste. We are proof that it can be done, ​​​​​​but we need government to help drive this kind of innovation – and encourage others to do it.

A circular health system

If we think about it in circles, better nutrition will lead to better health and a more sustainable NHS. It seems simple, but concrete strategies for prevention are lacking, and we are not where we need to be. It’s no secret that the new government has a big job on their hands, but the impact of nutrition has been highlighted time and time again by information from around the country. It should not be ignored. It can make a real intervention by focusing on nutrition to improve health outcomes. It can be done, but the time to do it is now.

This article first appeared in our Healthcare Spotlight report, published on October 25, 2024.