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ACCESS TO NUTRITION FOUNDATION
ACTIVITY REPORT: 2017
January 2018
ACCESS TO NUTRITION FOUNDATION
ACTIVITY REPORT: 2017
Contents
Message from ATNF 4
1. Global Index 5
2. Marketing of breast-milk substitutes 11
3. Product Profile 14
4. Spotlight Indexes 16
A. US Spotlight Index 16
B. India Spotlight Index 18
C. Other Spotlight Indexes 21
5. Strategic alliances with investors & investment advisors 22
6. Outreach activities 2017 26
7. Governance and Continuity 32
8. Outlook for 2018 34
Annex 1: Overview of outreach activities in 2017 35
4
Message from ATNF
During 2017, the Access to Nutrition Foundation (ATNF) carried out
most of the research for the third Global Index and the first US
Spotlight Index, both of which will be launched in 2018. The research
into the nutrition policies, practices and disclosure of the largest Food
& Beverage manufacturers globally and in the US, was conducted by
a hybrid team: Sustainalytics and ATNF’s research team.
ATNF continued to work with The George Institute on expanding our
research into the healthiness of companies' product portfolios. The
Product Profile, as this exercise is called, covers the five largest
selling categories of the 22 Global Index companies in nine markets
across all continents. This research is groundbreaking. It will, for the
first time, provide an objective analysis and comparison of the
healthiness of these companies’ portfolios. It will also reveal what
percentage of companies’ products are suitable to be marketed to
children. The results will be revealed in the third Global Index report
and, for the US market, in the first US Index report.
In addition to researching companies’ general nutrition activities,
ATNF has conducted two in-country assessments of the marketing of
breast-milk substitutes in Thailand and Nigeria in 2017. These studies
were conducted with Westat. The results will be shared through
individual country reports in early 2018. These results will be
combined with the results of the Corporate Profile assessment of
breast-milk substitutes (BMS), also conducted by ATNF in 2017, to
generate the BMS sub-ranking for the 2018 Global Index.
Looking back at 2017, ATNF is particularly excited about expanding
the team to a total of seven by the end of the year. We are also
excited about the growing engagement of companies in the Index
research processes, and by the growing network of investor
signatories and many organizations ATNF has met at nutrition
gatherings over the year. This indicates that fighting malnutrition is
becoming recognized as an important global sustainable development
goal and that our Indexes are increasingly seen as a trusted tool to
positively monitor the contribution of companies’ to this critical goal.
Inge Kauer (Executive Director ATNF)
5
1. Global Index
After publishing the 2016 Global Access to Nutrition Index in January 2016, the Foundation focused
in the second half of 2016 and beginning of 2017 on gathering feedback, having calls with Index
companies to discuss their results, and activities related to the preparation of the third Global
Index, due to be published in April 2018. The third Index will publicly rate 22 of the world’s largest
F&B manufacturers’ nutrition-related policies, practices and disclosure.
Access to Nutrition Index: Global Index 2016
Consultations
After the launch and rolling out of the second Global Index in 2016, preparations started for the
third Global Index. Consultations on the methodology involved 15 one-to-one company calls and
an in-depth evaluation discussion during the International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA)
member meeting in October (2016). In March 2017, the feedback was evaluated with ATNF’s
Expert Group. Additional meetings with Consumer Goods Forum Europe and Choices International
were held.
For further engagement and feedback, an online survey was sent to ATNF’s stakeholder network
(including companies, investors, CSOs, academics etc.). In total 51 stakeholders responded (see
Graph 1 for further details).
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Graph. 1. Fifty-one (51) stakeholders participated in this online survey. Companies submitted one survey representing the whole
company. Both investors and F&B companies showed a big interest and represent 62% of participants.
Responses to the survey were constructive and supportive: almost all (89%) participants in the
survey agree that ATNI can play a valuable role in monitoring the performance of the world’s
largest Food & Beverage (F&B) manufacturers and in encouraging improvement in their policies,
practices and disclosure. Most respondents also think that ATNI is objective (74%), independent
(69%), credible (72%) and transparent (71%).
Graph 2. The majority of stakeholders see ATNI playing a valuable role in monitoring the performance of the world’s largest F&B
manufacturers in addressing global nutrition challenges.
Corporate Profile Methodology 2018 development
Based on the feedback from the consultations, ATNF revised the Corporate Profile Methodology for
the 2018 Global Index. Overall, the structure of the Corporate Profile methodology remains the
same (see Table 1). Most changes are minor and relate principally to new or updated standards or
global guidelines. Others expand the scope of some indicators by clarifying wording or providing
better explanatory notes. There are now fewer unscored indicators. The major structural changes
7
are in Category B1 - Product formulation.
The focus is now on companies’ major categories, looking for specific reformulation targets per
category, and evidence of smaller pack or serving sizes in particular categories. The total number
of indicators is lower although more are scored in the 2018 Global Index than in the 2016 Index
(see Table 2). This means that it will be easier to make comparisons between companies’ scores in
2016 and 2018 and show clearly where improvements have been made. The Corporate Profile
methodology was shared and published in June 2017 and can be downloaded in full here.
Table 1: Global Index Corporate Profile Methodology Overview
Category (weight
in total score)
Description Criteria
Section1: Nutrition governance and management
A (12.5%) Corporate strategy, management and
governance
A1 Corporate nutrition strategy*
A2 Nutrition governance and management systems*
A3 Quality of reporting*
Section 2: Formulating and delivering appropriate, affordable, accessible products
B (25%) Formulating appropriate products B1 Product formulation*
B2 Nutrient profiling system
C (20%) Delivering affordable, accessible
products
C1 Product pricing*
C2 Product distribution*
Section 3: Influencing consumer choice and behaviour
D (20%) Responsible marketing policies,
compliance and spending
D1 Responsible marketing policy: all consumers*
D2 Auditing and compliance with policy: all consumers
D3 Responsible marketing policy: children
D4 Auditing and compliance with policy: children
E (2.5%) Supporting healthy diets and active
lifestyles
E1 Supporting staff health & wellness
E2 Supporting breastfeeding mothers in the workplace
E3 Supporting consumer-oriented healthy eating and active
lifestyle programs*
F (15%) Product labelling and use of health and
nutrition claims
F1 Product labelling*
F2 Health and nutrition claims*
G (5%) Influencing governments and
policymakers, and stakeholder
engagement
G1 Lobbying and influencing governments and policymakers*
G2 Stakeholder engagement*
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* Criteria with additional undernutrition specific indicators
Table 2: Comparison of the number of indicators in 2016 and 2018 Global Index Corporate Profile Methodology
2016 Global Index 2018 Global Index
Total no.
indicators
Total no.
scored
indicators
Total no.
non-scored
indicators
Total no.
indicators
Total no.
scored
indicators
Total no.
non-scored
indicators
Category A 47 36 11 42 39 3
Category B 56 47 9 52 47 5
Category C 29 19 10 28 22 6
Category D 51 30 21 55 34 21
Category E 34 28 6 34 28 6
Category F 20 20 0 20 20 0
Category G 13 11 2 13 12 1
Total 250 191 59 244 202 42
Company selection
ATNF followed the same approach as in 2016 to select companies for the 2018 Index. The 20
largest F&B companies by global revenues are automatically included. Additionally, two other
companies in the top 25 that were constituents of the 2016 Global Index were again included to
continue to encourage them to improve their performance (Tingyi and Campbell Soup Company).
There are two new entries in the top 20: Suntory Beverage & Food Limited and Meiji. With
these new additions, the new Global Index will include three Japanese companies. ATNF visited
these three Japanese companies in Tokyo in July 2017 to explain the Index to them and request
their cooperation in the research process. Wahaha, a Chinese company that was in the 2016
Index, is no longer assessed as it has dropped out of the global top 25.
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Table 3: Company Selection Global Index 2018
N. Company Name Included
in 2016
Included
in 2013
HQ Products
1 Nestlé S.A. Yes Yes CH Baby Food, Powdered & Liquid Beverages, Dairy, Confectionery,
Ready Meals, Water, Snack foods
2 Pepsico, Inc. Yes Yes USA Baby Food, Confectionery, Dairy, Pasta, Snacks, Spreads, Drinks
3 The Coca-Cola
Company
Yes Yes USA Dairy; Carbonates; Concentrates; Juice; RTD, Sports and Energy
Drinks
4 Mars Yes Yes USA Confectionery, Pasta, Ready Meals, Sauces, Snack Bars, Hot Drinks
5 The Kraft Heinz
Company
As Kraft
and Heinz
As Kraft
and Heinz
USA Baby Food, Meal Replacement, Sauces, Dairy, Snack Bars, Ready
Meals, Spreads, Concentrates, Juice, Hot Drinks
6 Mondelez International Yes No (part of
Kraft)
USA Bakery, Confectionery, Dairy, Snack Bars, Snacks, Hot Drinks
7 Unilever Yes Yes NL/ UK Canned/Preserved Food, Ice Cream, Noodles, Oils, Sauces, Soups,
Soft and hot drinks
8 Danone Yes Yes FR Baby Food, Dairy, Water and Beverages
9 Lactalis Yes Yes FR Baby food, Chilled Processed Food, Dairy
10 General Mills Yes Yes USA Bakery, Confectionery, Dairy, Meal Replacement, Pasta, Ready
Meals, Snacks, Soup, Concentrates
11 Kellogg Yes Yes USA Dried and Frozen Processed Food, Snack Bars, Savoury Snacks
12 Grupo Bimbo Yes Yes MX Bakery, Confectionery, Dried and Frozen Processed Food, Snacks
13 Conagra Brands Yes Yes USA Bakery, Canned/ Preserved Food, Confectionery, Oils and Fats,
Pasta, Ready Meals, Sauces, Snacks
14 Koninklijke
FrieslandCampina
Yes Yes NL Baby Food, Dairy, Oils and Fats, Juice, Other
15 Suntory Beverage &
Food Limited
No No JP Mineral Water, Coffee, RTD tea, Carbonates, Functional drinks
16 Meiji Holdings No No JP Confectionary, Dairy, Baby Food
17 Ajinomoto Yes Yes JP Soup, Noodles, Concentrates, Frozen Processed Food; Sauces,
Dressings
18 BRF S.A. Yes Yes BR Processed Food, Dairy, Meat
19 Arla Foods amba Yes No DN Dairy, Oils and Fats, Sauces, Dressing, Soups, Spreads
20 Ferrero Yes Yes IT Confectionery, Spreads
22 Tingyi Yes Yes CN Meal Replacement, Noodles, Carbonates, Juice, RTD Tea
25 Campbell Soup
Company
Yes Yes USA Baby Food, Soups, Sauces, Beverages, Baked Goods; Snacks
At the International Food and Beverage Alliance member meeting in June, ATNF was able to
engage with many of the companies in the Index. In addition, several one-on-one phone calls
were held with the companies selected for the Index. By the end of June 2017, most companies
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were informed about being included in the 2018 Global Index.
Development of the on-line data-gathering platform
One clear concern voiced by the companies was the burden of collating and submitting data via
the data-gathering platform for the Index. Given how important it is that companies do so, ATNF
invested substantially in developments to the on-line data gathering platform. New features were
added to make the survey shorter and easier to use; for instance, several departments within a
company can now work on the survey in parallel. In addition, the platform was pre-populated with
2016 data so that companies only had to update it with changes made since then. To enable
companies to work on the two surveys (US and Global) simultaneously, functionality was added to
enable users to switch between the surveys in one click.
Research activities for the 2018 Global Access to Nutrition Index
The ATNF analyst team, that was set up in 2017 to do more research in-house, was first trained in
applying the new methodology and then started to pre-populate the on-line data-gathering
platform with publicly available data about companies’ nutrition commitments and performance in
June.
Company engagement activities
During the early summer, ATNF organized webinars for companies in the Global and US Index to
share the final methodologies and train them to use the platform. Sixteen of the 22 companies
participated, and Q&A were developed and distributed to them to help them understand the
methodology and to use the platform.
In September, the data-gathering platform was opened to the Global and US Index companies.
Sixteen of the 22 companies actively engaged by submitting confidential material to the data-
gathering platform, all or partly under a non-disclosure agreement (12). The platform was closed
on October 1st, after which the information the companies had submitted was checked and verified
with them as needed. The analysis was then reviewed to ensure consistency in how companies
were scored.
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2. Marketing of breast-milk
substitutes
In early 2017, ATNF gathered stakeholders’ views about whether any changes should be made to
ATNF’s approach to assessing BMS marketing for the 2018 Global Index, included were a range of
organizations, such as FTSE4Good, Save The Children, 1,000 Days and WHO. ATNF also met with
four major baby food companies (Nestlé, Danone, FrieslandCampina and Abbott) in January, with
the International Special Dietary Foods Industries Association (ISDI) of which they are members.
Overall, these companies expressed their support for ATNF’s work in this area and indicated their
willingness to engage in the research process for the 2018 Global Index. Working with the BMS
Expert Group (BMS EG) ATNF considered all of the stakeholder comments received to finalise the
approach to assessment for the 2018 Index.
2018 Global Index: BMS 1: Corporate Profile
Consideration was given to adding a new module to assess companies’ compliance with a new
resolution passed by World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 2016 - WHA 69.9 - that set out
recommendations related to marketing complementary foods intended for young children from 6 –
36 months. Had this approach been taken, changes would have to be made in the BMS Marketing
Corporate Profile methodology to reflect the recommendations within WHA 69.9 that related to
formulas marketed as suitable for young children up to 3 years of age. However, ATNF decided not
to make these changes for this Index, in order to retain comparability between the 2016 and 2018
Index results and because ATNF recognized that companies may not yet have implemented the
required changes in their policies and practices to reflect these new recommendations. The
changes to incorporate WHA 69.9 will be included for the next Index.
The only small changes made to the methodology for the 2018 Index were that some wording was
clarified in few indicators and a small number were removed. One important difference, however,
was that a higher bar was set for evidence required from the companies to demonstrate that
effective management systems are in place to implement their policy worldwide.
In June, the ATNF research team prepared and pre-populated the online platform with information
previously submitted by the companies so that they only needed to submit documentation related
to any changes made to their policies or management systems since the last Index. The six
companies were invited to take part in webinars to be familiarized with the methodology and the
platform.
12
Five of the six companies completed the survey on the platform and contributed documentation;
only Kraft Heinz did not. Following initial review by the ATNF team, these five companies were
asked to clarify some points or provide additional evidence in some areas, which all of them did.
The analysis was completed by the end of the year.
2018 Global Index: BMS 2: In-country assessments
In early 2017, ATNF again appointed Westat to undertake two studies in Thailand and Nigeria. The
studies were based on the NetCode protocol, which supersedes the IGBM protocol used previously.
ATNF used the first version of the NetCode protocol developed by WHO in 2015. (An updated
version was published in October 2017). It was developed by WHO and several expert
organisations including UNICEF, IBFAN, WABA, HKI, Save the Children Foundation and the WHO
Collaborating Center at Metropol University. The protocol is intended to provide practical, concrete
guidelines and procedures to Governments and others to use in Code monitoring.
The types of research required by NetCode are the same as those required by the IGBM Protocol.
The goal is to assess companies’ compliance with five Articles of The Code (Articles 4, 5, 6, 7 and
9), subsequent WHA resolutions and any local regulations that have provisions additional to these
documents. It does not extend to assessing the conduct of people employed by manufacturers and
distributors (Article 8) nor the quality of products (Article 10).
Scope of a NetCode study
• A sample of 33 health facilities that provide well-baby care. Facilities that only care for sick children (e.g. hospitalized children, emergency rooms, or sick clinics) are not included. The sample is drawn using a simple ‘proportionate to size’ model combined with a list frame for facilities that offer well-baby/child clinics, in the largest city. (Note this is fewer than the 40 facilities assessed using the IGBM Protocol.)
• Five mothers with children under six months of age and five mothers with children between six and 23 months of age are sampled by stratification from each selected health facility, giving a total sample size of 330 mothers. (Note this is fewer than the 800 women required by the IGBM Protocol.)
• 3 health facility representatives are interviewed in each health facility (i.e. head of the clinic, doctor, nurse/midwife). A total of 99 health workers will therefore be interviewed. (Note this is fewer in total than the 120 health workers interviewed under the IGBM Protocol. Although the number of representatives interviewed in each facility remains the same, a smaller number of facilities are visited.)
• 43 retail outlets selling covered products: One small store and one large store near each of the 33 health facilities, as well as ten large stores that sell a high volume and variety of products under the scope. These are purposively sampled based on local knowledge. (Note that the IGBM Protocol did not stipulate how retailers should be selected, nor how many.)
• 6 months of media monitoring, including traditional and some digital media. (Note that the IGBM Protocol mentions billboard/ posters, printed publications, TV, radio, internet and other (not further specified).)
• All BMS products for sale in the study area, i.e. all products encountered in store visits. (Note that the IGBM Protocol did not specify how products should be identified.)
13
In preparation for the in-country assessments, ATNF visited Thailand in July and Nigeria in
September to introduce the Global Index and the BMS assessment to a wide range of
stakeholders. Local representatives of international organizations like WHO, UNICEF, Save The
Children, Alive & Thrive and HKI attended the sessions, along with local organizations that work to
promote breastfeeding, and good infant and child nutrition in their countries. The proposed in-
country studies received wide support in both countries.
In Thailand, Westat selected the International Health Policy Foundation (IHPP) as its research
partner. IHPP conducts research on national health priorities related to health systems and policy.
In Nigeria, the local office of Oxford Policy Management (OPM) was appointed.
Following extensive preparations and training of the local research partner, the study in Bangkok
began in July; data collection was completed by the end of August. The study in Lagos started in
September; data collection was completed by the end of October.
In early 2018, ATNF will publish a summary of each study, along with the Westat reports. The
results will be incorporated into the 2018 Global Index.
ATNF’s participation in other initiatives Meridian Institute consultative process: During 2017 ATNF participated in several calls and meetings organized by the Meridian Institute designed to bring a wide range of BMS stakeholders together to explore the potential for developing new mechanisms and approaches to promoting breastfeeding and monitoring BMS marketing. US BMS meetings: in April, ATNF also met with key US BMS stakeholders including Public Citizen, HKI a representative of the US Breastfeeding Committee and CDC to solicit their advice on how the US Index should address BMS marketing in the US. FTSE4Good: In June 2017, ATNF attended a stakeholder meeting to hear from FTSE4Good the results of the verification exercises, undertaken by PWC in Thailand and Nigeria during 2016. International Congress of Nutrition: ATNF’s Executive Director attended this congress in Buenos Aires in October at which WHO launched the second edition of the NetCode protocol, and presentations were made by institutions in Mexico of the results of their NetCode study.
Field training in-country BMS assessments
14
3. Product Profile
Having received a positive response to the Product Profile in the India Index, ATNF is introducing a
Product Profile on a pilot basis for the 2018 Global Index. The Product Profile analyses how
healthy company’s products are as well as how many of its products are suitable to be marketed
to children. This data can then be aggregated to give an overall view of which companies have the
healthier or less healthy portfolios. Moreover, combining the nutritional quality of categories with
sales data provides an understanding of how healthy or otherwise companies’ sales are in the
markets being studied.
ATNF began discussions with The George Institute (TGI) early in the year – the entity which
conducted the Product Profile for the India Index – to determine the feasibility of working together
again for this study. Having agreed to do so, ATNF and TGI then developed the methodology for
the exercise for the Global Index.
As with the India Product Profile, two nutrient profiling systems are being used: the Health Star
Rating (HSR) to assess how healthy companies’ products are and the WHO Euro model to assess
whether products are healthy enough to be marketed to children. As it is impossible at this stage
to assess all markets worldwide, nine key markets were selected for which databases of the
nutrition content of a lot of products had already been compiled. These markets cover both
developed and developing markets in various continents: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa,
United Kingdom, China, India, United States, Mexico and Hong Kong. Up to the five largest selling
categories of each company in each market are being assessed: some companies don’t sell five
categories in all markets and some are not present in all of the markets. The nutritional analysis
will be combined with sales data from Euromonitor to generate sales-weighted results, as in the
2016 India Index.
This multi-market Product Profile will allow ATNF to test the approach that has been used and to
learn from the experience. How the results will be used in the presentation of the 2018 Global
Index has not yet been determined. However, data collected for the US will be incorporated into
the results of the first US Spotlight Index report due in June 2018.
In July TGI started to extract nutrition content data for companies’ products in the nine markets (if
available). In September, the data TGI had collated was shared with the companies who were
asked to check it or add to it. Twelve companies shared their own nutrition content data and
another four responded in some way. This was a significantly higher level of engagement than
seen for the India Index. All data had been processed and TGI finished its research before the
year ended.
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4. Spotlight Indexes
A. US Spotlight Index
ATNF will publish the first US Spotlight Index in mid-2018. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
is funding this new Spotlight Index because its mission is to improve the health of everyone in the
United States.
A high proportion of the US population is overweight or obese, which can be primarily attributed to
poor diets and inactive lifestyles. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), 71% of adults are currently overweight, of which 37% are obese - and these numbers are
rising. This results in a high prevalence of diet-related chronic diseases such as diabetes and
hypertension. Food and beverage manufacturers can - and should - play a role in addressing these
issues and trends. Many have made commitments to do so but at present there is no mechanism
to track their progress against these commitments and to compare their efforts consistently and
comprehensively.
Future for a Healthier America Summit, May 2017
17
The US Index will assess the contribution of the ten largest F&B manufacturers in the country to
fighting key nutrition challenges – obesity, overweight and food insecurity. Those companies
are: PepsiCo Inc, the Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Heinz Co, Nestlé SA, General Mills Inc., Dr Pepper
Snapple Group, Kellogg Co, Mars Inc., Unilever Group, ConAgra Brands Inc.
During the first half year of 2017 several consultations took place to develop the methodology for
the first US Index:
Early April: a kick-off meeting took place with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
Mid-April: ATNF visited the US to present at a breakfast roundtable of the Healthy Eating Research
meeting. In addition, ATNF hosted a lunch with experts specifically invited to give advice on how
the US Index methodology should be adapted to reflect key issues in the US.
Early May: A meeting was held for investors in New York with the global financial research firm
Bernstein where ATNF presented the Access to Nutrition Indexes.
May: A company meeting was held at the start of the Future for a Healthier America Summit
organized by the Partnership for Healthy America (PHA). Companies that participated were Mars,
The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Campbell’s, Hershey’s, Cargill, Abbott, and
Mondelez International. Further, a break-out session at the conference allowed ATNF to present
and discuss the US Index with a wider range of stakeholders.
Late May: Other consultation calls took place with the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising
Initiative (CFBAI), Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the Rudd Center and several
companies, including Unilever, Kelloggs, and General Mills.
In early June ATNF established a US Expert Group to review the draft US Corporate Profile
methodology. The Methodology was then finalized.
The US Spotlight Index methodology assesses companies’ policies, practices and disclosure beyond
what they are legally required to do. For example, it will assess whether they have targets to
reformulate products and their progress in achieving them, how they contribute to nutrition-related
public health programs and how extensive their policies are to restrict the marketing of less
healthy products to children. The accessibility of healthy and affordable nutrition for populations
most at risk - encompassing the rural and urban poor, including various ethnic minorities - is also
an important aspect of the US Spotlight Index assessment. The US Spotlight Index Methodology
can be found here.
In July, the research team started by pre-populating the on-line data-gathering platform with
publicly available data published by the companies in the US Index. In September, eight out of ten
companies in the US Index then submitted data to the data-gathering platform, often under NDA.
The data was checked and verified before the end of the year.
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B. India Spotlight Index
Alongside the Global Indexes, ATNF develops and publishes Spotlight Indexes that score and rate
the ten largest Food & Beverage manufacturers in a selected country. In 2013, ATNF piloted
Spotlight Indexes in Mexico, South Africa and India. The first full Spotlight Index published in 2016
was the India Index. It was well-received and gained much media attention as well as interest
from the public and private sphere. The India Index report can be downloaded here.
After the launch of the Index, calls were held with seven of the ten Index companies. These
companies had discussed the Index internally, at management level, and said that the Index had
provided them with new insights about India’s nutrition challenges and how they could better
address them. They expressed interest in doing more on key topics such as responsible marketing,
employee health, nutrient profiling and tackling undernutrition. They also suggested that more
Indian companies should be included in future indexes, e.g. some of the fast-growing soft drinks
companies.
The Indian government’s Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) expressed its commitment
to continue working on nutrition particularly through stronger labeling regulations aligned to Codex
standards and by introducing better food fortification standards to address micronutrient
deficiencies.
Access to Nutrition Index: India Spotlight Index 2017
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The India Index results were discussed with international investors via webinar in January 2017. In
April 2017, ATNF visited India to discuss the response to the Index as well as the roll out future
India Indexes. Meetings were held with FSSAI, CII (an industry association), GAIN India, the TATA
Trust Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Embassy of The Netherlands, DFID’s India
office and several companies. All expressed their support for the India Spotlight Index.
In June, ATNF participated in a visit to the Netherlands organized by “Rijksdienst Voor
Ondernemend Nederland” (RVO) on agri-processing and presented the India Index to participants.
This enabled ATNF to further engage with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and the Embassy of The Netherlands in India, all of which
were in attendance.
Several in-depth articles referring to the first India Index were published, confirming new developments
both government and industrial:
• ‘CSR through food fortification’ – published in January on how Food Fortification is a key
corporate social responsibility initiative that can afford companies the opportunity to address
a humanitarian challenge in an economically sustainable way.
• ‘Leading Food And Beverages Brands Fail India’s Double Nutrition Challenge’ – published
in March is a summary of India Spotlight Index findings and how F&B companies should be
addressing the double burden.
• ‘Salt-free, fat-free, sugar-free: The new mantra of food makers in a health-conscious India’
– published in March addresses rising consumer demand for healthy products and how
companies should meet this demand in order to grow.
• ‘Unfortified young India’ - published in March addresses the double burden and illustrates
this with ATNI India data and analysis.
20
Screenshots headlines Indian media after launching the first India Index
ATNF developed and discussed the roll-out strategy for future India Indexes at its board meeting
in May. It was concluded that for future Indexes, ATNF will aim to create a deeper, more
widespread awareness among the industry and other stakeholders about India’s nutrition
challenges and articulate the need for the growing F&B industry to become a leading player in
addressing these challenges. To do so, it needs to be more visible in India, by for example
establishing permanent local representation for ATNF and/or local research capacity, expanding
the India Expert Group and intensifying partnerships with local organizations such as CII, GAIN
India and The Indian Nutrition Initiative (TINI). Funding from Indian donors should also be sought
to contribute to achieving these goals.
Following this discussion, ATNF developed its concept for rolling out the next India Spotlight Index.
In November ATNF visited India again to discuss its plans with companies, CSOs and Indian-based
funders (the Embassy of The Netherlands, DFID, US AID, BMGF and the Tata Trust Foundation).
These stakeholders encouraged ATNF to broaden the scope of the India Index by including more
Indian companies and to look at nutrition issues at state level. Conversations about establishing
partnerships and further funding will continue in the new year.
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C. Other Spotlight Indexes
A central ambition of the Foundation is to develop more Spotlight Indexes, particularly in double-
burden countries. As Nigeria is one such country, ATNF is exploring the feasibility of developing
a Nigeria Spotlight Index.
One in three children under five in Nigeria is stunted, while 33% of Nigerian adults are overweight.
The double burden of malnutrition in Nigeria is alarming and with a rapidly growing economy and
middle class it is important that the private sector plays its role in ensuring access to adequate
foods of high quality. More people are moving to cities; urban lifestyles and work typically change
people’s eating habits, often for the worst.
A Nigeria Spotlight Index would provide Nigerian stakeholders with a tool to track Food &
Beverage manufacturers' contributions to improving their health through good nutrition.
In September, ATNF visited Abuja and Lagos where it met with many key nutrition stakeholders,
such as the SUN Business Network, the Nigeria Heart Foundation, the National Consumer
Protection Council, the Centre for the Right to Health, and with private sector players and
government institutions. The proposal for a Nigeria Spotlight Index was positively received. ATNF
continues to explore the possibility of developing a Nigeria Index.
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5. Strategic alliances with investors
& investment advisors
Investors are an important stakeholder group for ATNF because, as shareholders in many of the
Index companies, they have a substantial ability to influence their policies and practices. At the
beginning of 2017, 50 investors were signatories to the Investor Statement. By the end of the year,
this figure had increased to 54, with AXA Investments, Schroders, ACTIAM and Nationale
Nederlanden (NN) becoming signatories. Together these investors manage more than US$ 5
trillion. A further five responsible investment sector associations also support the Indexes.
ATNF engages with the Investor Signatories in several ways. Each time the methodology is
revised, investors are invited to contribute their views. They were invited to do so for the 2018
Global Index via the online survey. ATNF also holds webinars for investors to update them on
plans and progress. During 2017, updates were provided in January (webinar: India Index 2016
findings), June (London: general updates European investors) and November 2017 (webinar: 2018
plans). In mid-November, together with Boston Common Asset Management, ATNF discussed the
findings of the 2016 India Index in Mumbai with companies and investors at a session linked to the
ACGA Asia Business Dialogue conference.
During the year ATNF also consulted signatories on how it might provide even more support to
investors in their research and engagement with companies on nutrition issues. At a meeting
hosted by CCLA in London in June 2017, participants suggested that ATNF develop a web-portal
for signatories only where they could access more detailed analysis and material not published on
the ATNF website. ATNF began to work to develop such a portal in the fourth quarter of 2017; it
will go live in 2018. ATNF has also developed other ideas for how it might provide bespoke support
to investors which it hopes to be able to deliver after the launch of the 2018 Global Index.
In light of the upcoming launch of both the 2018 Global Access to Nutrition Index and the first US
Spotlight Index in 2018, ATNF's Investor Signatories are preparing to again collaborate on
engaging with listed Index companies to catalyze improvements in their policies, practices and
disclosure, based on Index outcomes and recommendations.
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Investment management /asset owner signatories
1 ACTIAM
2 AMP Capital
3 Amundi
4 Arisaig Partners
5 Aviva Investors
6 AXA Investments
7 Bestweb
8 BMO Global Asset Management
9 BNP Paribas Investment Partners
10 Boston Common Asset Management, LLC
11 Calvert Investments
12 Candriam Investors Group
13 Catholic Health Initiatives
14 CBF Church of England Funds
15 CCLA Investment Management
16 CCM LLC
17 Christian Super
18 Church Commissioners for England
19 Church of England Pensions Board
20 Dignity Health
21 Domini Social Investments
22 Dominican Sisters of Hope
23 EdenTree Investment Management
24 Element Investment Management
25 Epworth Investment Management
26 Everence Financial
27 Fresh Pond Capital
28 Friends Fiduciary Corporation
29 Hermes EOS
30 Impax Asset Management
31 JLens
32 J Safra Sarasin
33 Lion Trust
34 Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF)
35 Local Government Super
36 Mercy Investment Services, Inc.
37 NEI Investments
38 NNIP
39 Pax World Management LLC
40 PGGM
41 Rathbones Greenbank
42 Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management, LLC
43 Schroder
44 Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati
45 Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
46 St Joseph Health System
47 Standard Life Investments
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48 The Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church
49 The Sustainability Group of Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge
50 Trillium Asset Management, LLC
51 Triodos Investment Management BV
52 Trusteam Finance
53 Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk, U.S. Province
54 Walden Asset Management
Responsible investment association signatories
1 Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) – US
2 Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment – US
3 Region VI Coalition for Responsible Investment – US
4 Socially Responsible Investment Coalition - South Africa
5 VIP (Vereinigung Institutionelle Privatanleger) eV - EU
To learn more about how investors can support the mission of ATNF, please click here.
The Investor Working Group
Following the launch of the 2016 Global Index, some of the signatories offered to form a steering group to
develop a program of collaborative engagement with Index companies. A number of signatories took part
in that engagement with the 13 listed companies on the Global Index during 2016 and 2017 to
encourage them to improve their performance in areas ATNF highlighted as being weak. In
September 2017, the Investor Working Group co-chairs sent emails to the companies included in
both the Global and US Indexes to encourage them to take part in ATNF’s research process.
Other work with investors
Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB) is an independent, private-sector standard-
setting organization based in the US dedicated to enhancing the efficiency of the capital markets
by fostering high-quality disclosure of material sustainability information that meets investors’
needs. It develops and maintains sustainability accounting standards for 79 industries in 11 sectors
to guide listed companies’ disclosure of financially material information to investors in a cost-
effective and decision-useful format. In early 2017, SASB released its draft Standards for the
Processed Foods sector and the Non-Alcoholic Beverages sector for comment. ATNF made an
extensive submission to SASB suggesting a range of improvements to align the Standards to
indicators within our Indexes. The final standards are not due to be published until some times in
2018.
ATNF encourages Investor Signatories to engage with RB following its takeover of Mead Johnson Nutrition In April 2017, ATNF wrote to a number of its Investor Signatories to encourage them to engage with RB in relation to its intention to buy US formula manufacturer Mead Johnson Nutrition. We suggested they highlight concerns about the risks around the acquisition related to Mead Johnson’s poor policies and procedures in relation to marketing its paediatric nutrition products - also known as breast-milk substitutes (BMS). The company had ranked bottom of ATNF’s 2016 BMS marketing sub-ranking with a score of only 5%. We asked investors to urge the company to address this issue as a priority on acquiring the business.
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Alliance Bernstein is a large global investment management and research firm, which writes and
sells research to 85,000 investment sector clients. In May, the European F&B research team
distributed a nutrition-focused report to its clients summarising the 2016 Global Index results and
commenting on the companies it covers (Nestlé, Unilever and Danone). On May 8th, Alliance
Bernstein hosted an event in New York City for its clients; ATNF presented at this event and
received positive feedback. In July, Alliance Bernstein hosted another seminar for its European
clients at which ATNF was invited to speak. Danone and Nestlé also presented, as well as
Professor Susan Jebb, of Oxford University. ATNF and Alliance Bernstein are keen to exploring
further opportunities to collaborate.
Kepler Chevreux is a leading independent European financial services company that, among
other services, provides research to investors. In October, Kepler Chevreux issued to its clients a
report on food and nutrition security. ATNF’s work was heavily featured, particularly the Product
Profile in India.
Investors outreach
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6. Outreach activities 2017
ATNF took part in various activities to extend its outreach to different stakeholder groups in 2017.
World Benchmarking Alliance: together with other Indexes, ATNF can provide
stakeholders with information on companies’ contributions to the Sustainable
Development Goals
In September, the World Benchmarking Alliance launched its consultation phase during the UN
general Assembly. Its objective is to develop, fund, house and safeguard free, publicly available
corporate sustainability benchmarks aligned with the SDGs. ATNF became one of the first allies of
the Alliance.
Quote from Steve Howard of the Global Foundation about the World Benchmarking Alliance
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ATNF calls on makers of infant formula and complementary foods to strengthen their
commitments to infant health during World Breastfeeding Week
ATNF dedicated a blog and several social media posts during World Breastfeeding Week 2017,
which took place from August 1st until the 7th, calling on makers of infant formulas and
complementary foods to strengthen their commitment to the health of infants, children and
mothers everywhere. More specifically, ATNF urged them to protect and encourage breastfeeding
by committing to comply fully with The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
(The Code) in all countries in which they sell their products. Read the full blog here.
Wilton Park US event, New York
ATNF attended the high-level Wilton Park US event that was organized by GAIN and
USCIB Foundation, about no more missed opportunities: advancing public-private partnerships to
achieve the global nutrition goals.
Sustainable Development Goals
During the Global Goals week, September 16-23, which marks the anniversary of adoption of the
SDGs, ATNF launched a blog and posted to social media on the link between the Sustainable
Development Goals and Global Nutrition Targets, emphasizing how the private sector can, by
investing in nutrition, contribute to 12 out of the 17 SDGs.
Screenshots of the outreach during World Breastfeeding Week
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“Nutrition underpins every person’s ability to grow, learn, and work, and suffering from malnutrition has been
proven to have a dramatic impact on long-term life outcomes. Put simply, the right nutrition allows us to fulfill
our potential, but a lot of people are missing out. Investing in nutrition can unlock socio-economic gains,
affecting educational and employment outcomes, long-term health outcomes and the economy”.
Not surprisingly, nutrition has become a global public health priority in the last few years, which is reflected in
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); 2 of the 17 SDGs are directly linked to nutrition while in
total 12 of the 17 SDGs cannot be reached without nutrition related actions.”
Read the full blog here
Screenshot of an ATNF Twitter post regarding nutrition and the Sustainable Development Goals
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Coverage in World Bank publication
The 2016 Access to Nutrition Index was featured by the World Bank in a report published in July
about the links between obesity and food systems. Proposed action regarding labeling and
consumer education were in line with the recommendations made by the 2016 Global Access to
Nutrition Index.
Sun Movement Global Gathering, Ivory Coast, November 2017
In November, ATNF was invited to speak at various gatherings. ATNF was honored to join the
panel at the 2017 SUN Movement Global Gathering hosted by Ivory Coast in November,
which brought together more than 1,000 representatives from civil society, private sector,
governments and academics.
The Vice-President of Ivory Coast clearly highlighted that “malnutrition, be it undernutrition or obesity, is an alarming public health problem and real global concern. It is at the heart of the problem of fighting extreme poverty, and an important dimension of social and human development.”
Screenshots of the World Bank publication featuring the Global Access to Nutrition Index
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ATNF joined a panel to debate “How can different stakeholders in nutrition develop impact and trust by working together”. The theme for this panel was the importance of building trust between
sectors to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. During her presentation, Inge Kauer
emphasized the importance of stakeholders’ investing time and resources in getting to know each
other in order to build sufficient trust to work together.
The UNICEF office for The Netherlands organized a conference in early December on the
impact of marketing on children’s rights.
UNICEF’s view is that the Convention on the Rights of the Child provides the basis for children’s-
rights approach to responsible marketing. Should businesses adopt this approach, it would imply
that they refrain from marketing unhealthy food to children.
ATNF spoke during the conference and presented the opportunities for F&B manufacturers support
children’s rights through responsible marketing. Other speakers were from, among other
organizations, WHO Europe, Leiden Law School, the European Advertising Standards Alliance,
Ahold Delhaize and Unilever.
A key topic was the importance of widening the scope of companies’ responsible marketing policies to children
up to 16 years old. Another important topic was the importance of developing better tools to track, for instance,
the audiences of digital marketing channels. Another discussion centered around the appropriate role for
industry in consumer education
Social Media: ATNF’s Tweets were seen 87,113 times on twitter and ATNF gained many new
followers. Twitter is a medium very popular with our stakeholders and ATNF believes it to be a
strong tool in our aim to position ourselves as a knowledge institute.
Website: The ATNF website has been updated with news and a social media/twitter plug in
allows for visitors to see updates either by ATNF or by others mentioning ATNF or ATNI. The
website is also being prepared for the launch of both the 2018 Global Index and the US spotlight
Index (2018).
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7. Governance and Continuity
ATNF started the New Year 2017 in a new office in Utrecht which ATNF is sharing with like-minded
organizations in the sustainability field. The ATNF team grew during 2017. In January, we
recruited a Program Assistant to provide support on financial administration and to programs. We
also recruited a Program Manager, a Communications Officer and Senior Research Manager.
With the expansion of the team, ATNF has adopted a hybrid research model in which the ATNF
research team now works closely with other external research providers: Sustainalytics continued
to provide capacity for the Corporate Profile assessments. The ATNF research team has done part
of the Corporate Profile research for the Global and US Indexes, and BMS Corporate Profile in-
house. BMS in-country research and Product Profile research continued to be outsourced to
specialist organizations, Westat and The George Institute.
The external Senior Advisor, Rachel Crossley, continued to provide support to the whole team in
developing Index methodologies, managing the BMS in-country assessments and the Product
Profile, on strategy development and other activities.
Table 6: ATNF Staff 31 December of 2017
Task Position Name
Overall management Executive Director Inge Kauer
Program Assistant Magdalis Mercilia
Program Management team Senior Program Manager Marije Boomsma
Program Manager Ellen Poolman-Manuweera
Communications Officer vacant
Research team Senior Research Manager Paul Vos
Research Analyst Simona Kramer
ATNF developed and published a new set of policies during the year as requested by the Board
and funders. These included: Code of Conduct & Ethics Policy, Conflict of Interest Policy, Anti-
Bribery Policy, Whistleblower Policy, Human Resources Policy and Procurement Policy.
An external financial audit of ATNF was prepared and took place on May 24th, 2017 and September
11th by Van Noort Gassler.
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Board
The composition of the Board remained the same in 2017. In 2017 the board held 3 meetings by
phone and one in person in New York. The board has installed an audit committee consisting of
two board members: Lauren Compere (chair) and Paulus Verschuren.
The organization is governed by a board consisting of: Keith Bezanson
Chair of the Board of ATNF and Chair Independent Advisory Panel, Access to Nutrition Foundation; Former President, International Development Research Centre; Former Director, Institute of Development Studies
Lauren Compere Managing Director, Boston Common Asset Management
Inge Kauer Executive Director, Access to Nutrition Foundation
Paula Luff Director, Sustainability & Impact at Inherent Group; Board of Philanthropy New York; Senior Associate with the Project on Prosperity and Development at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Kathy Spahn President and Chief Executive Officer, Helen Keller International; Board member of InterAction and International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)
Susanne Stormer Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer, Novo Nordisk, Denmark; Adjunct professor, Corporate Sustainability, Copenhagen Business School; Member of International Integrated Reporting Council.
Marc Van Ameringen Former Executive Director Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)
Paulus Verschuren Founder WorldFed NL; Former Special Envoy Food and Nutrition Security Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands; Former Senior Director Unilever Global Health Partnerships; Former Executive Director International Life Sciences Institute – ILSI Europe
Funding
Next to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ATNF welcomed two new funders in 2017: the Dutch
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; the latter funding the
development of the US Index. Conversations with other new funders have been held and in 2018
ATNF expect to further diversify its funders base.
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8. Outlook for 2018
ATNF will publish the third Global Index that assesses 22 of the world’s largest Food & Beverage manufacturers in May 2018. The 2018 Global Index will for the first time include a Product Profile that assesses the healthiness of companies’ products. In the 2018 Index, ATNF will again publish a BMS marketing sub-ranking for the world’s six largest breast-milk substitute manufacturers. In addition to this, ATNF also plans to publish two other BMS studies, focusing on Thailand and Nigeria. With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ATNF will launch the first US Spotlight Index in 2018 including a Corporate Profile, Product Profile and a commentary on BMS Marketing. ATNF plans to start developing the second India Index in 2018. The publication of the second India Index has been put forward to 2019. In preparation for this, ATNF will continue to engage with nutrition stakeholders in India, and later in 2018 will adapt the Corporate Profile methodology, begin Product Profile research and liaise with selected companies. An Indian Expert Group will also be selected. As noted, ATNF is exploring the feasibility of developing a Nigeria Spotlight Index and an Africa Index. Investor launch events will be organized in London, Continental Europe and the east coast of the US, immediately after the launch of the 2018 Global and US Indexes. Investor webinars will also be offered to those who cannot attend in person. As with the 2016 Global Index, a group of Investor Signatories will collaborate to engage with listed 2018 Index companies to press them to improve their policies, practices and disclosure in areas they are found to lag behind in best practice. Many of the outreach activities in 2018 will be related to the launches of the Global Index and the US Index. ATNF has already received various invitations to present the Index outcomes from IFBA, World Advertisers Organisation and companies. An external PR agency will support ATNF in developing a communications plan to maximise the reach and impact of the Indexes. In addition, ATNF aims to share the Index results in various nutrition gatherings such as Global Nutrition Report launch meetings and SUN Business Network meetings.
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Annex 1: Overview of outreach
activities in 2017
January Meeting with ISDI and 4 member companies (Nestle, Danone, Friesland Campina and Abbott)
February
March ATNF meeting/consultation with Consumer Goods Forum Europe and Choices International
April ATNF India visit, engagement with Donors, Government Institutions and companies
Kick off meeting with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) for US Index
ATNF presents at Healthy Eating Research Meeting in the US
May Consultations BMS Expert Group
ATNF presents at BernsteinAlliance US Investor Event in New York
ATNF hosts company meetings at the Future for a Healthier America Summit
Consultations regarding the US Index with Children’s Food and Beverage Initiative (CFBAI), the
Rudd Centre, Centre or Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), The George Institute and several
companies in the US
June ATNF presents at IFBA member meeting in the US
ATNF contributes to- and presents joined proposal FTSE4Good
ATNF joins AgriProcessing visit organized by RVO in the Netherlands, engagement with
stakeholders regarding the India Index
ATNF presents at BernsteinAlliance European Investor Event in London
ATNF engages with Investor Signatories in London, hosted by CCLA
July ATNF speaks at investor event BernsteinAlliance in London
ATNF holds consultations with investor signatories in London
ATNF company engagement in Japan
August ATNF hosts Company webinars to inform and update about 2018 Indexes
World Breastfeeding Week – ATNF Blog and Social Media Engagement
September Companies submit data on the online data gathering platform for the Global Index 2018 and US
Spotlight Index (2018)
ATNF blog and social media engagement during Global Goals Week on the SDGs and Nutrition
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October ATNF attends Wilton park US event, New York - No more missed opportunities: advancing public-
private partnerships to achieve the global nutrition goals
World Obesity Day - blog on ATNF website
ATNF attends 21st International Congress of Nutrition (ICN), Buenos Aires.
World Food Day – social media engagement
November Early November: ATNF Investor signatories update webinar and introduction webinar for interested
investors
ATNF attends Global Nutrition Summit and Global Nutrition Report Launch
ATNF attends and speaks at SUN Global Gathering
ATNF holds company and CSO consultation meetings, India
ATNF and Boston Common Asset Management investors round table at the ACGA event, Mumbai
ATNF Speaks at SUN Global Gathering in ivory Coast
December ATNF attends and speaks at UNICEF Netherlands event on marketing to children
Access to Nutrition Foundation
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