Nutrition & health

Our responsibility

In the western world, the problems of overweight and diabetes are a growing concern, spurring debates on lifestyles, diet and exercise habits. Issues of getting a balanced diet and sufficient exercise seem to be among the key challenges. As a sugar manufacturer, we see it as our role to actively communicate the knowledge we have about our product and its nutritional effect. We want to stimulate a nuanced and knowledge-based debate on nutrition.
We believe sugar can easily form part of a healthy, balanced diet composed in line with the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations.

 

Our actions

We base our approach on the belief that a solution to the health and nutrition problems is only achievable through a factual dialogue between the food industry, the retail sector, health and nutrition professionals, interest groups, schools, politicians and the media.

 

Information and dialogue

We are committed to contributing to the nutrition debate by providing scientific facts, believing that raising awareness is the best road towards solving the problems.

 

Our communication efforts involve a number of activities and channels, such as:

• our “Perspektiv” magazine on sugar and nutrition (in Danish, Swedish and Finnish)
• www.perspektiv.nu – a website on sugar and health targeting nutrition and health care professionals (in Danish and Swedish)
• specialist seminars and teaching material for various specialist groups
• dissemination of new research results
• analysis and dissemination of Scandinavian consumers’ knowledge on and attitude to sugar, health, food and exercise
• participation in national and international symposiums

 

Health-promoting activities

We support projects that promote lasting, healthy lifestyle habits. Examples include the successful Swedish Bunkeflo project that is motivating many children to exercise more (www.bunkeflomodellen.com), as well as the Danish GAM3 project that is successfully encouraging young people in socially disadvantaged residential areas to be physically active (www.GAM3.dk).

 

Product development and research

Jointly with our industrial customers, we contribute to developing new products that match modern families’ lifestyles and wishes for healthy living. We do so by developing our own products and by exchanging knowledge.

 

Further, we support research in sugar and health. Our support is primarily channelled through our memberships of the international sugar manufacturers’ organisations, CEFS and WSRO.

 

Sugar marketing

Our marketing activities targeted at consumers comply with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) marketing codes (www.iccwbo.org). We are also committed to providing clear energy content labelling on all our consumer products.

 

Our performance

For several years, Nordic Sugar has organised popular nutritional seminars for food producers, customers, professional experts, interest groups, health organisations and other parties with a professional interest in the subjects. Recent seminars have focused on the scientific status of the role of sugar in nutrition, appetite regulation and trend diets.
We have been pleased by the highly positive feedback we have received from participants.

 

Our new leaflet “On sugar and health” provides input on the most often debated issues related to sugar. The conclusions on the nutritional importance of sugar agree with a range of international reports from such international bodies as WHO and EFSA (European Food Safety Authority).