Danone has come a long way since I joined the company over 30 years ago. We’ve always had a rich history in health – our founder originally sold yoghurts with ferments in pharmacies in Spain to address malnutrition in children. But over the years, as we grew as a company, our multinational portfolio diversified into one that is quite unrecognisable compared to where we are today.
We’ve moved from selling frozen pizzas, biscuits, and sauces, back to prioritising healthy products – like yoghurts, waters, and plant-based food and drink. This has taken decades of time, energy, and investment. In 1972, Danone’s then global CEO Antoine Riboud declared that a company’s responsibility does not end at the factory gate. We should be doing more for the communities we serve – for us, that means products that lead to healthier diets and better nutrition for the nation.
Because better health through better nutrition means longer, healthier lives. Yet for too long, nutrition has been a blind spot for us as a nation. We simply don’t take it seriously enough, and that has to change.
If the government wants to make the NHS more resilient, it needs to reduce the number of people who are falling ill to begin with. That has to involve tackling obesity and malnutrition as part of a robust, nutrition-focused preventative healthcare model, so more people can stay healthy and in work. With workplace sickness costing the UK economy over £100bn in 2023 it is clear we will not grow the economy until everyone has the chance to lead a healthy life. There will need to be more focus on the vital role nutrition plays in preventing ill-health in the government’s 10-year plan for the NHS.
At Danone, our interest in health and nutrition goes beyond the food and drink brands that you might see on supermarket shelves. Our Nutricia brand produces foods for people with specific nutritional needs and for special medical purposes, helping to ensure people can access the nutrients they need if they are unable to do so through food alone. This could include someone who is undergoing cancer treatment, someone who recently had a stroke, or someone who has disease-related malnutrition.
Our nurses also work directly within the community, supporting patients to manage enteral feeding at home safely and independently. Whether in hospital or elsewhere, it’s clear to see that nutrition plays an essential and valuable role in improving people’s quality of life. Now, the government must acknowledge that value and build policies that properly support good nutrition for everybody.
Malnutrition and obesity – two sides of the same coin
Poor nutrition can lead to conditions like obesity and malnutrition, which are both on the rise. In 2022-23, 64 per cent of adults aged 18 years and over in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity. Whereas 2.9 million people in England have disease-related malnutrition. Naturally, the health repercussions of both conditions place increasing pressure on our already strained NHS.
Research shows that obesity-related ill-health costs the NHS £6.5bn every year, while malnutrition costs health and social services £22.6bn. Both are costing a fortune and yet both are preventable. Maintaining a healthy diet is essential at every stage of life. Poor diet is one of the biggest risk factors for preventable ill-health in the UK. As we grow older, the risk of becoming overweight or obese increases – and can lead to serious health consequences like diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
On the flip side, there are also the risks of undernutrition – particularly for people who are older or who are managing diseases or long-term health conditions. Undernutrition can lead to illness, physical decline, deterioration in mental health, and malnutrition. Yet many people don’t have a good understanding of the nutrients they need in their diets to keep them healthy. Nor the fact that you can be both obese and undernourished.
Malnutrition can be difficult to diagnose. It can be a consequence of diseases or long-term health conditions, as well as social and economic factors. Nearly half a million people who are admitted to hospital each year in England have disease-related malnutrition, yet only 2 per cent receive a diagnosis. Earlier diagnosis and better nutritional support for patients can help reduce hospital stays, support recovery, and prevent costly re-admissions. Our research estimates that the additional medical costs of a person with malnutrition is more than three times that of a person without malnutrition. If we don’t tackle this issue, disease related malnutrition is projected to cost an extra £4bn by 2035.
Clearly, the government has a key role to play when it comes to nutrition. We need increased screening for those at risk of malnutrition and better nutritional management across all areas of healthcare, and, in general, a greater focus on promoting healthier diets.
Industry must play a positive role
The food and drink industry also has an important role to play in helping this shift. As a nation, the UK consumes significant amounts of unhealthy food, including foods that are high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS), which are known to have adverse effects on health.
With so much information out there, people need to feel confident in the choices they’re making. Last year, Danone UK & Ireland launched – and are upholding – our own sector-leading health commitments. This includes that at least 90 per cent of our portfolio of products by sales volume will not be HFSS, and we’ll never produce a product for children that is HFSS.
But we want to see greater transparency across the whole industry. Agreement on what constitutes “healthy food” is essential before we can implement mandatory reporting for food and drink businesses. Then we are likely to see more innovation, and ultimately healthier products on shelves. We want the healthy choice to be the easy choice. But we can’t do it alone. And it takes time, research, and investment for companies to alter their products to reduce ingredients like sugar while also maintaining good taste. We’re proof it can be done, but we need the government to help drive this type of innovation – and incentivise others to do it.
A circular health system
If we think about it circularly, better nutrition will lead to better health and a more resilient NHS. It seems so simple, yet concrete tactics around prevention are lacking and we’re simply 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 poor nutrition has been illuminated time and again by data from across the country. It should not ignore it. It can make real inroads by refocusing on nutrition to improve health outcomes. It can be done, but the time to do it is now.
This article first appeared in our print Spotlight report on Healthcare, published on 25 October 2024.