The fifth year of the Health and Wellness Progress Report continues to measure the commitment of the members of the Consumer Goods Forum against goals and resolutions they have made to empower their customers to live healthier lives. 83 companies participated in this forum of which 45% are based here in our APAC region. They represent a collective value of more than US$3 trillion in revenues and impact billions of lives.

The findings from this year’s report indicate that steady progress is being made towards the goals set by the organisation for themselves. For example, more than 88% of companies have reformulated products to include healthier ingredients and the respondents have partnered with over 527,000 schools, up 37% since 2016. However, more work remains to be done to meet the long term objective of creating healthier communities. This is acknowledged by the members of the forum and they are committed to strengthen their leadership in the area of health and wellness for the next five years and beyond.

“There is a clear opportunity for business to contribute to public health and to a culture of prevention. The CGF members acknowledge this as part of a multi-stakeholder action where the private sector can, and should, play a key role.”

The scale of the problems being caused by unhealthy lifestyles around the world is also acknowledged within the report, as are the evolving preferences of customers towards retailers who can demonstrate health, transparency, and are aware of their responsibilities and social impact. There is opportunity for Australian food manufacturers and retailers who can demonstrate social responsibility in their practices and products.

This infographic summarises some of the results from the survey:

Key Findings:

• 88% of companies introduced products that have been formulated and/or reformulated to support healthier diets and lifestyles
• 12% increase over last year in the number of companies who are (re)formulating products to include less salt and less sugar
• More reporting from personal care companies on the reformulation of products including parabens, phthalates, microbeads and fragrances
• Respondents declared partnering with over 527,000 schools, up 37% since 2016
• 58% of respondents participated in food bank programmes, with 180 million meals distributed and over 77,000 tonnes of food donated.

Next steps:

The report outlines the progress on the implementation of the CGF’s Resolutions and Commitments as well as the challenges CGF companies encounter, but also acknowledges progress against the 2018 commitments needs a significant step up, if they are to be achieved.

Going forward, the Health & Wellness Steering Committee advises that manufacturers and retailers should sustain their collaboration to make a transformational contribution to addressing universal health challenges.

About the Health & Wellness Progress Report

The Health & Wellness Progress Report, developed by the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) in conjunction with Deloitte Global, details how members of the CFG are working together to empower consumers and employees around the world to live healthier lives. Now in its fifth year, this is the only such global survey covering both retailers and consumer goods manufacturers.
The CFG is a CEO-led forum CEOs of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries. Their member companies have combined sales of EUR 3.5 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain.
Inspired by CGF members’ commitment to being part of the solution to today’s biggest health and lifestyle challenges, this Health and Wellness Progress Report is a member-driven initiative led by Nestlé and Ahold Delhaize and supported by some of the largest consumer product brands and retailers in the world.

Published: March 2018

Previous versions

• 2017 Health & Wellness report
• 2016 Health & Wellness report
• 2016 Health & Wellness infographic
• 2015 Health & Wellness report
• 2015 Health & Wellness infographic