Scale innovative initiatives in nutrition, water or rural development with Nestlé

Submissions for Nestlé's 2018 Creating Shared Value (CSV) Prize, accepted till the end of October from anywhere in the world, offer all social and commercial enterprises, as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) prizes totalling RM2.2 million for innovative business initiatives that address challenges in nutrition, water or rural development which can be scaled up or replicated.

Nirmalah Thurai, Executive Director, Group Corporate Affairs, Nestlé Malaysia said, “There are many innovative socially-conscious projects run by amazing Malaysians. This is a wonderful opportunity showcase these initiatives on a global platform and we strongly encourage Malaysian change makers to submit their ideas.”

This is the 8th edition of the Nestlé CSV Prize, which is held every two years. This year, it celebrates Nestlé’s 10 years of Creating Shared Value, a philosophy which is embedded throughout the group. CSV is based on the belief that for a company to be successful in the long term and create value for its shareholders, it must also create value for society.


Since the Nestlé CSV Prize was established, Nestlé has supported nine initiatives, helping them unlock their potential and create a greater impact.

Details:

Online applications for ideas on nutrition, water or rural development are accepted until October 31, 2017. Shortlisted entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to participate in the 2018 World Water Forum in Brazil to pitch their initiatives live to the Nestlé CSV Council.

Balanced protein intake slows dieters' muscle loss

Source: Nestlé.

The Nestlé Research Center, working with an international team of scientists, has found that a balanced intake of protein through the day can help reduce the risk of muscle loss when people try to lose weight.

The study, published in the American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism, looked at how to promote weight loss in older obese men while avoiding loss of muscle mass which can hinder further weight loss and lead to reduced strength and functional capacity as well as increased risk of disability and mortality. 

In an international collaboration with researchers in Canada, Australia and the UK, Nestlé researchers set out to establish whether this loss of muscle mass could be counteracted by a two-pronged approach: 

• Ensuring that the protein provided by a reduced-calorie diet is balanced throughout the day rather than the usual tendency to receive the bulk of daily protein intake from the evening meal 
• Regular exercise in the form of resistance training

Twenty obese men around the age of 65 were recruited for a four-week study. For the first two weeks, they were placed on a low-calorie, high-protein diet and continued with their normal daily activity. However, half of the volunteers received a balanced intake of protein from the four meals/protein drinks provided throughout the day, while the second half received the more standard ‘skewed’ diet, with the majority of their protein intake coming from the evening meal. 

In the second fortnight of the study, the diet was combined with a whole-body, progressive resistance exercise regime to see if it would counteract any negative impact of the reduced-calorie diet on muscle mass. Rates of muscle protein synthesis – the driving mechanism behind maintaining or increasing muscle mass – were measured at the end of each phase by blood sampling and muscle biopsy. 

As expected, both groups displayed reduced fat mass and reduced muscle mass during the first fortnight when both groups were on a low-calorie, high-protein diet without resistance training. While the fat reduction was the same for both groups, the reduction in muscle protein synthesis rate was less marked in the balanced intake group. 

During the second half of the study with resistance training, both groups continued to lose body fat, but muscle loss was noticeably slower than after the first half of the study. In fact, with the balanced intake group, the protein synthesis was comparable to the levels seen with ‘normal’ energy intake before the study began. 

This research demonstrates that a reduced-calorie diet does indeed reduce the rate of muscle protein synthesis, confirming that weight loss can also lead to muscle loss. However, the study also demonstrates, for the first time, that a balanced protein intake throughout the day increases muscle protein synthesis when compared to a skewed protein distribution. This beneficial effect is further enhanced when combined with resistance training. 

The company notes that this research remains to be confirmed in long-term studies, and that the daily optimal amount of protein required to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis in older adults also remains to be established. There may also be differences in weight loss profiles for women.

*Murphy C.H, Churchward-Venne T.A, Mitchell C.J, Kolar N.M., Kassis A., Karagounis L.G., Burke L.M., Hawley J.A. and Phillips S.M., Hypoenergetic diet-induced reductions in myofibrillar protein synthesis are restored with resistance training and balanced daily protein ingestion in older men. American Journal of Physiology 2015.

Nestlé helps to identify opportunities to protect natural resources

Source: Nestlé.

Nestlé has contributed to a new report just released that aims to identify new opportunities for protecting natural resources such as water, soil and timber that underpin global supply chains and provide commercial value.

Doing business with nature, a collaboration between Nestlé, the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and other entities, discusses the impact that deteriorating natural resources has on economies and the implications for businesses. The report also discusses how businesses are managing natural capital, such as water, throughout their operations and supply chains.

In a foreword for the report, José Lopez, Nestlé Executive Vice President and Head of Operations, writes: “In Nestlé, we need to be able to consistently assess where to prioritise our efforts on natural capital and this report provides the knowledge base that can inform our decisions.”

Read the full report here.

Nestlé to remove all artificial colours and flavours from chocolate

Source: Nestlé.

Nestlé USA will remove artificial flavours and FDA-certified colours like Red 40 and Yellow 5 from all of its chocolate candy products by the end of 2015. The move will affect more than 250 products and 10 brands. Products will begin appearing on store shelves by mid-2015, and will be identified by a No Artificial Flavors or Colors claim featured on-pack.

“Nestlé is the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company and our commitment to remove artificial flavours and certified colours in our chocolate candy brands is an important milestone,” said Doreen Ida, President, Nestlé USA Confections & Snacks. 

“We know that candy consumers are interested in broader food trends around fewer artificial ingredients. As we thought about what this means for our candy brands, our first step has been to remove artificial flavours and colours without affecting taste or increasing the price. We’re excited to be the first major US candy manufacturer to make this commitment.”

Ingredients from natural sources can include annatto, which comes from the seeds found in the fruit from the achiote tree, Red 40 and Yellow 5 to replace the BUTTERFINGER centre. In CRUNCH, natural vanilla flavour will replace the artificial vanillin.

“We never compromise on taste. When making these changes to more than 75 recipes, maintaining the great taste and appearance consumers expect from the chocolate brands they know and love is our #1 priority,” said Leslie Mohr, Nutrition, Health and Wellness manager, Nestlé Confections & Snacks. “We conducted consumer testing to ensure the new recipe delivers on our high standards for taste and appearance.”
According to Mohr, this change affects Nestlé’s current portfolio of chocolate brands including NESTLE CRUNCH, BUTTERFINGER, BABY RUTH, SKINNY COW, RAISINETS, GOOBERS, SNO CAPS, 100 GRAND, OH HENRY and CHUNKY. 

Going forward, all newly launched chocolate and non-chocolate candy products (gummies, sours, etc.) introduced by Nestlé USA will be made without artificial flavours or colours. Additionally, Nestlé USA is actively pursuing the removal of caramel colouring from its chocolate products. Caramel colouring is an exempt-from-certification colour additive, which is used in nine of the more than 250 chocolate products.This follows similar moves by Nestlé in other parts of the world, the company said.