FDBusiness.com

Nestle has enhanced its Nutritional Compass product labelling system in an effort to help consumers make more informed choices about a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle. The Nutritional Compass, found on 97% of Nestle products worldwide, is comprised of four information boxes that form a circle with the company’s corporate brand logo at its centre.

Launched in 2005, the Nutritional Compass is designed to be a clear, transparent labelling guide that goes beyond simply listing figures to help consumers choose not only a healthier, but also a tastier product.

Communicating Nestle’s belief that all foods and beverages can be enjoyable and can play an important role in a balanced and healthy diet and lifestyle, it is intended to help to promote responsible nutrition, moderation and variety in food habits.

It has now been updated to include specific questions that are likely to be foremost in people’s minds when consuming a particular Nestle food or beverage.

“We know that people are often confused by the sheer number and variety of different labeling systems, endorsements, and quality seals they are faced with when choosing products. The Nutritional Compass stands out from the rest by encouraging and empowering consumers to make tastier and healthier choices in a friendly language that they can understand,” explains Sanjay Sehgal, head of Nestle’s Corporate Wellness Unit. “It is a consistent, recognisable space on our product packs which we have dedicated to answering consumers’ nutrition and health queries in a meaningful and informative manner, enabling people to integrate them into their diets in a balanced way.”

While the design of the enhanced Nutritional Compass remains the same, Nestle has introduced subtle changes to make it more helpful and relevant to consumers. A new ‘Good Question’ box – featuring product specific queries such as ‘How many cups of coffee can I have in one day?’ – has now been added to speak on the consumer’s behalf.

This question is then answered by an existing ‘Good to Know’ box, where the Nestle brand provides a direct, informative response, such as ‘Three to five cups of Nescafe coffee fit well into a balanced lifestyle’.

A subsequent ‘Good to Remember’ box – which offers supporting information based on Nestle’s expertise in areas such as nutrition, health, science, quality and safety – has been merged with a ‘Good to Talk’ box, which provides contact details for the relevant brand consumer services teams.

Finally, a Nutritional Information box clearly states the amount of specific nutrients the product contains, such as protein, carbohydrate, fat and sugar.

With Nestle’s research revealing that 60% of consumers find the Nutritional Compass more helpful than other comparable product information systems, the company is exploring other ways to develop its potential.