Dive Brief:
- At the Consumer Analyst Group of Europe conference in London earlier this week, Luis Cantarell, head of Zone EMENA at Nestle, spoke out about the link between nutrition and addressing health issues. A cure for autism currently is unknown.
- Cantarell focused in particular on autism, which he said, attributing evidence, has been linked to intestinal disorders. "There is a clear relationship between microbiota (also known as gut flora), and what we could deliver with probiotics, and autism," he said, according to Food Business News. "Now, we need to prove that."
- A major part of Cantarell's presentation dealt with the establishment of Nestle Health Science, for which he said that autism may be "a possible target for new product development for the company," says Food Business News.
Dive Insight:
Nestle's employees in Ireland are also taking part in a similar initiative by partnering with Irish Autism Action "due to their compelling story of the practical support they provide, both in and out of the home, to families who are impacted by autism," said Deirdre O'Donoghue, country manager, Nestle Ireland, according to a Business & Leadership article from October.
Nestle's focus on nutrition doesn't end with autism. Its efforts for establishing children's nutritional products have been recognized, as covered in the company's annual report released earlier this week. The company was ranked in the top 3 for the current Access to Nutrition Index, and 98% of Nestlé's children's products reached the entirety of the Nestlé Nutritional Foundation criteria for the year.