GOAL:
To examine public policy as it relates to CPG corporations, such as Nestle Corp, and how it affects their procduct offerings. This research will be used in hopes of better framing a research question or study on the subject.
EARLY FINDINGS:
- According to Nestle USA, some of the major initiatives in public policy that will "shape what people eat," and in turn, will affect product offerings, include:
1. Consumer Transparency: Making quality information more accessible to consumers and their families
regarding product offerings.
2. Food Safety: Ensuring global quality and safety of food products.
3. Nutrition: The development and advocating of public policies that will educate consumers in making
better informed decisions regarding the foods they purchase, which contrinute to healthier eating
habits, while developing and supporting sustainable environmental policies and practices.
- Two of the key areas that are of significant importance in public policy include transparency in food labeling and sustainable environmental practices, which are aimed as reducing "carbon emissions."
- In fact, four of the largest CPG companies in the food industry have formed an alliance to address public concerns surrounding these issues. They include, Unilever, Mars Incorporated, Nestle USA, and Danone North America. The alliance's primary goals include "driving progress in public policy" that will create effects on the foods that people eat, while impacting the health of communites and the planet.
- The alliance is also focusing on individual aspects of healthy eating, such as reducing sodium content. Other aspects include measures to create transparency on how their practices affect the envioronment.
- The Nestle Company has established global initiatives and goals surrounding obesity and portion control. According to Nestle, the company has estabished guidelines in portion control by followin the advice and recommendations from dieticians "around the world."
- By 2020, the company aims to continue to provide guidance on portion control and has impletemented these changes in their "portion packs."
- They also plan on extending guidelines and recipes to teenage and adult populations, as well as changes in their product design, packaging and dispensing.
PROPOSED NEXT STEPS
- In order to best meet the research needs of the propsed questions, it is important to clarify a few things.
1. In terms of public policy, we are operating under the assumption that the main point of interest is how
public policy is affecting product offerings made by CPG companies, especially Nestle Corporation. The
concern is that these changes may be limting the choices available to consumers. Is this correct?
2. Regarding the concern expressed that "Nestle is not giving people what they want," some example
complaints surrounding the specific concern, will better help focus the team.
3. Additional context surrounding the goals and plans for this research will also help the team in providing
guidance in further framing the research, as well as any information related what the ideal response would
and would not contain.
- Given the nature of the information. We recommend the following options with regard to the research.
OPTION 1:
- Researching and presenting an overview of some of the individual public policy initiatives in the CPG food industry that will affect product offerings overall along with examples. (3 hours, $87).
OPTION 2:
- Providing 1 to 2 case studies of CPG company initiatives that have changed their product offerings, portions, or discontinued offerings based on public policy initiatives. We recommend starting with Nestle Corp and expanding to other CPG food industry companies as necessary. The primary focus being the public policy initiative, how the company changed their product offering, and any public complaints as result of changing their product offerings (i.e. discontinuing the product, changing portion sizes, or changing the product's composition) to meet the initiative. (3 hours, $87).