| Poor diets are an entrenched health challenge facing the world, driving some $8 trillion in hidden costs each year. That's according to a report from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, which weighed the consequences of bad diets against the environmental and social costs of food production. Among the 13 dietary risk factors was an insufficient intake of fruit, vegetables and whole grains, as well as excessive consumption of sodium and red and processed meats. Unhealthy diets contribute to diabetes, strokes and a string of other non-communicable diseases. Obesity rates are surging, a trend especially worrying in developing markets that are still battling undernutrition Trillion Nutrition Fight">undernutrition. The Covid pandemic, food inflation and debt crises have further restricted access to nutritious food in recent years. But the problem is made worse by the world's largest food and drink companies marketing so much unhealthy fare. Some two-thirds of products sold by 30 of the top firms don't meet "healthiness" criteria, according to the Access to Nutrition Initiative. The nonprofit analyzed more than 50,000 products and found that, while there was an improvement since 2021, only 34% of sales were classified as "healthier." Just 11 out of 30 companies set age thresholds for product marketing. Only nine had some form of an affordable-nutrition strategy. Overall, the share of "less healthy" products marketed by the industry was higher in lower and middle-income0 Billion Opening Is India's Next Health Crisis">middle-income countries. Food manufacturers must find ways to balance their business interests with public health at a time when governments — and, increasingly, consumers — want meals to be more nutritious and more sustainable, ATNi said last week. "The choice is clear: if these companies want to remain relevant in 2035, 2040, they have to figure this out," Executive Director Greg S. Garrett said in an interview. "Some of these companies are going to be challenged, especially if the majority of their foods are unhealthy. It's not easy, and that's why you need policy." More food for thought Read Dasha Afanasieva's profile of the new chief executive officer of Nestle, the world's biggest food company. Laurent Freixe, 62, will have to lean on his near four decades of experience to raise morale and revive the business. —Agnieszka de Sousa in London | 
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