Some 2 million employees are now involved in company-led health and well-being programs, according to the “2019 Health & Wellness Progress Report,” released by the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), Silver Spring, Md., in conjunction with Deloitte, New York. The global survey looks at how consumer goods retailers and manufacturers are helping to empower healthier consumers worldwide.

The five years’ worth of results show that CGF members are meeting consumers’ expectations and fulfilling the industry’s ambition to empower consumers to lead healthier lives. More specifically, the 2018 data shows:

• 98% of companies reported reformulating at least some part of their product portfolio to align with health and wellness policies. Since 2015, over 320,000 products have been reformulated.
• Over 70% of companies reported reformulating salt and sugar in their products.
• Almost 2 million employees participated in health and wellness initiatives in 2018 vs. 1.6 million in 2017 and 1.3 million in 2016.
• 61% participated in food bank programs (nearly 93,000 tons of food donated).
• Made partnerships with education authorities on health and wellness initiatives for over 550,000 schools.

This member-driven initiative is co-sponsored by the CEOs of Nestlé USA, Glendale, Calif., and Ahold Delhaize, The Netherlands, and co-chaired by Danone North America, White Plains, N.Y., and Walmart, Bentonville, Ark.

“We've come a long way since this survey began five years ago, but we are not finished yet, and there is still much to do. It is great to see how, in the communities where our members work and live, companies and their employees are taking greater interest than ever in health and wellness issues. It proves that as we move into our next 5-year plan, collaborative actions will continue to be a force for good and an essential component of driving positive change at scale,” says Sharon Bligh, director, health and wellness at CGF. “Consumers and our employees want to be empowered to make changes to their health and well-being, so they can live healthy and more active lifestyles for longer. People are craving change, and we recognize our industry’s role in both preventing illness and in empowering people to live healthier lives”.