For me, it’s a privilege to be part of the world’s largest nutrition, health and wellness company, and with that privilege comes an opportunity – as well as a responsibility – to engage with our consumers and the communities where we do business.

Even for a well-recognized name like Nestlé, this isn’t always an easy task.

As my colleague Betsy Cohen noted in her blog post last month, not that many people in the U.S.A  realize we are actually made up of five operating companies -  Nestlé USA, Nestlé Waters North America, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, Nestlé Nutrition and Nestlé Professional –  or that we produce many of the USA’s most recognized brands.

Neither are people necessarily aware what Creating Shared Value means or that it is the strategic business model that guides our work.

So, I welcomed the recent release of our first-ever CSV report in the United States as a great opportunity to tell more people about how Nestlé works, and explain our long-term commitment to investing in the areas where we operate.

Whether this is helping to strengthen local economies by creating productive jobs with comprehensive benefits, or by working closely with organizations that provide health, nutrition and water education, I think the case studies provided in the report really help to illustrate our reach – and collective impact.

You can read much more about what we are doing in the United States by visiting:  http://www.Nestleusa.com/PubNews/FactSheets.aspx.

Nestlé has always had these practices, but we’ve never really talked about them  extensively – or from the perspective of all five U.S. companies – before. I think we are realizing that people want to know more about the company, the people and the commitment behind the brand, and I am very pleased to be part of extending this dialogue.

 

 

 

Last week, Nestlé announced the launch of its Jenny Craig weight management programme in France. Jenny Craig, the personalised programme for weight loss and long-term weight maintenance, combines its ready-made meals with individual consultation. Through this launch Nestlé is pushing ahead with a successful solution to address a major public health issue – obesity. In response to individual consumer needs, Jenny Craig offers both a broad variety of menus and lifestyle advice. One-on-one consultancy on nutrition, exercise and eating behaviour is offered at Jenny Craig centres or over the phone, while the meals are available at the centres or delivered directly to the consumer. Jenny Craig’s activities form an integral part of Nestlé’s commitment to an enjoyable, healthy balanced diet and lifestyle, including for consumers with special needs. Richard Laube, CEO Nestlé Nutrition, said: “Weight management is a core business for Nestlé Nutrition and Jenny Craig is fully in line with Nestlé’s overall vision as the world’s leading nutrition, health and Wellness Company. Jenny Craig is representative for Nestlé’s science-based approach to innovation and demonstrates the important role of personalised nutrition for the future.” Patti Larchet, CEO Jenny Craig, added: “Our holistic approach Food-Body-Mind is based on the three pillars of portion-controlled nutritionally balanced food, increased physical activity and long-term behaviour change. Our strength is the one-on-one personal consulting: we tailor a programme based on individual needs and support our clients to achieve their weight loss goals.” With more than 5 million clients over the past ten years, Jenny Craig is a successful business model in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The programme has been launched in France with 17 Jenny Craig centres and an at-home programme. Martial Rolland, Head of Nestlé France, said: “We are pleased that Jenny Craig is being launched in France. This is a further sign of Nestlé France’s commitment to nutritional advancement through the renovation and innovation of nutritious, tasty, balanced products.” Later this year Jenny Craig will be rolled-out nationally in the UK. Other European markets will be considered and evaluated. Jenny Craig was acquired by Nestlé Nutrition in 2006. It was founded by Jenny and Sidney Craig in Melbourne, Australia in 1983 and started operating in the United States in 1985. Headquartered in Carlsbad CA, USA, Jenny Craig operates more than 725 weight loss centres and employs more than 4,000 people worldwide.

In line with Nestlé’s focus on nutrition as part of its creating shared value strategy, Nestlé Nutrition is taking a pro-active approach to the problems of malnutrition amongst older adults. Nestlé Nutrition is launching Resource® SeniorActiv to target the unique nutritional needs of the elderly. Resource® SeniorActiv is the first nutritionally complete oral supplement of its kind. It will be introduced in 2010 in Switzerland and progressively rolled out in key European countries. At the same time, the company is globally introducing the revised Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA®SF) for older people. This tool will help medical practitioners to better identify those who would most benefit from oral nutritional supplements.