Sullivan O’Carroll, chairman and MD of Nestlé SA, says his company is focussing on providing information that will help the South African consumer make healthier choices. O'Carroll was speaking at IPSA's National Packaging Congress, held on 18 and 19 August at the Sandton Convention Centre.
O’Carroll says that the consumer often doesn’t know what they are choosing to consume and it is the food industry’s responsibility to inform and educate them.
To this end, Nestlé has implemented four guiding principles for the on-pack communication of nutritional information. These are simplicity, transparency, clarity and relevance.
There is also a need to reconcile the above information with a marketing message that will encourage the consumer to purchase the product, a balance between expressing nutritional information rationally and emotionally. The solution, according to O’Carroll, is a communication vehicle that is backed up by scientific research, with a common goal of building a healthier nation.
