OPINION
Consumers, NGOs, and Investors Push for Healthier Private Label Products Less salt, less sugar, more fiber… This was the general message in a prime time TV commercial from Lidl early this year. The retailer focuses on healthier products in his assortment. The message could have come from any public health service that strives to a more healthy choice of the population. “Thanks for the exposure grocer”, they might say. Lidl is not the only retailer trying to do their best to reformulate products that are considered as not so healthy, especially products that contain too much sugar or salt. Intakes too high of sugar lead to obesity and other negative effects. Too much salt is related to a high blood pressure and several types of cancer. On the contrary, more fiber is linked to positive health aspects like a lower LDL cholesterol, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A fourth risk factor wasn’t in the Lidl commercial: saturated fatty acids. The latter are also correlated with cardiovascular risks. Let’s forgive the grocer, in a few minute commercial, you would need witchcraft to explain the complicated fatty health story. Although most grocers and their private label suppliers already have programs to reformulate their products by reducing saturated fat, sugar or salt, still many products in the supermarket isles contain too many of the unhealthy ingredients or too few of the good. But its no wonder, the shopping public loves cookies, chips, crème caramel, chocolate bars, and so on. Me too, they’re yummy, but every time I want to buy one I scratch my head and try not to give in. But sometimes I do. And that is no problem for my health as long as I don’t give in too often. But many shoppers do and that’s why public health services and NGO’s advocate for the production of healthier foods and drinks. Disappointed in the pace in which the food and drink industry reformulates their products, they keep pressing on the governments to make laws that oblige to make healthier products, to make the easy choice the healthy choice.
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GLOBAL RETAIL BRANDS / MARCH 2022
UNHEALTHY PROMOTIONS The NGO’s do not only set their sights on the composition of unhealthy products. The promotion of the unhealthy stuff is also under fire. In the UK and Netherlands, the nonprofit organization Questionmark makes the so called superlist every year (1). It shows, on the basis of research, what supermarkets across Europe are doing to make their products or promotions more healthy. Questionmark’s aim is to contribute to a better food system by “creating a movement among different actors in society towards healthy, sustainable, equitable and animal-friendly consumption and production of food. We inspire governments in facilitating, directing and monitoring industry performance and consumer behaviour”, according to the organization.
