Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to bring a distinction between the three food and beverage companies in the world. In the last few years, consumers have raised concerns about the healthiness of their consumed foods and beverages. In the past, people concerned themselves with eating foods that tasted good and filled their stomachs. However, currently, there is a great shift that consumers are more concerned about eating healthy food whose produced in ethical, sustainable, and friendly ways for the environment. In a survey conducted in 2018 on 1600 consumers by a management consultant company L.E.K., findings showed that consumers are more supportive of health and wellness. This comes from the increased awareness of global warming, heart issues, obesity, and physical fitness.
Background
Coca-Cola Company
Coca-Cola originated from humble beginnings Created in 1886 by a pharmacist Dr. John Pemberton in the late 1800s in Atlanta, Georgia. The recipe was then sold to Asa Candle, who officially developed the brand in 1892, and by 1895, its sale had been spared through the state union. In 1919, Ernest Woodruff bought the company and developed it into a major international brand as it took its first listing on the New York Stock Exchange the same year. Its rapid expansion and distribution worldwide are attributed to the franchise distribution system that has been in operation since 1889. Its growth stemmed from them tailoring the final product to the taste and demands of the consumers. Over its production period, it changed its original recipe. However, it was not well received by the consumers causing coca cola to face a public backlash that resulted in the company returning the original product to the market. The company is dedicated to the growth of the business through a thorough, designed, and exciting plan. While they strive, t achieve an expansion of commercial beverages in less developed countries. Notably, Coca-Cola arose from the acquisition and strategic merger of companies worldwide. Their market monopoly was buying other companies and making exclusively produced products from Coca-Cola. The major consumer issue is the health concern from the intake of Coca-Cola. This s a sugary drink reproach by the C.D.C. America shows that at least half of Americans take a sugary beverage daily. Through this consumption, conditions such as type two diabetes and obesity are rising. World Health Organization recommends six tables spoons a day for an individual sugar intake. However, a can of 12oz of Coca-Cola contains almost twice the same amount. Their contribution to a health hazard has made them receive negative attention; thus, it resulted in the company producing a sugar-free Coke with low calories and releasing coconut water.
Kraft Heinz Company
The company has been rated among the largest food companies in the world. Its production is far more than Mac and cheese or ketchup. Kraft Heinz hosts brands such as Philadelphia, Planters, and Oscar Meyer. The birth of Kraft Heinz was through a merger of two companies. The founder of Heinz was Henry Hein Zin in 1876. He was the brain behind Tomato Ketchup. While in 1909, James L. Kraft founded the door-to-door cheese-selling business. Over the 20th century, the companies grew. The expansion of Heinz’s products was through the acquisition of Statist and Oreida, which expanded the product Heinz offered immensely.
Similarly, Kraft had their acquisition with Group Danine and Cadbury. Berkshire Hathaway claimed many stakes in 2013 that were major in Heinz, and through this, Berkshire started to merge Heinz and Kraft companies. Thus 2015, the merging was completed, and t created the largest fifth food company in America. The market consists of brands like Velveeta, Classico, Oscar Meyer, Smart Ones, Lunchables, Kool-Aid, Maxwell House, Quero, Grey Poupon, and more (Kraft Heinz, 2023). Over the years, the products have grown and spread vastly all over the world. Kraft Heinz products identify the nutritional targets. The products are low in sugar, sodium, calories, and saturated fats. Their products align with global nutritional standards recommended by the World Health Organization, Engineering and Medicine, the National Academies of Sciences, and the European Food Safety Authority. In 2021, they managed to reduce 10 million pounds o sugar across the portfolio, which was directed towards their overall goal of 60 million pounds of sugar across the world portfolio by 2025. Plans in place to ensure the success of these include
“Improve product health & nutrition by achieving 85% compliance with Kraft Heinz Global Nutrition Targets by 2025. ON TRACK: 67.7%”
“Reduce total sugar in our products by more than 60 million pounds across our global portfolio by 2025. ON TRACK: 16%”
“Reduce sodium by an additional 5% in our B.B.Q. Sauce and Kraft Salad Dressings in North America by 2025. EARLY STAGE”
“Improve use and transparency of simpler ingredients by 2025. ON TRACK”
“Increase our plant-based offerings. ON TRACK”
Nestlé company
Nestle was formed in the year 1866 after the foundation of the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. In 1867, Henri Nestle developed a breakthrough in foods for infants. Furthermore, by 1905, the company had developed mergers with an Anglo-Swiss company, thus the birth of Nestle group. Nestle is currently the leading food and beverage company. Over the years, nestle has developed several acquisitions and launched over 2ooo brands, some of the most common being Nescafe, Nespresso, KitKat, Maggi, Tollhouse, Milo, coffee-mate, Nesquik, and Aero. The company has a big range of products: baby food, coffees, bottled water, medical food, milkshakes, cereal for breakfast, healthcare and performance nutrition, soups and sauces, seasonings, refrigerated and frozen foods, and, last, pet food. All around the world, Nestle has developed 447 factories in 194 countries with a labor force of 339,000. Some of the basic principles the company operates under are that Nestle products production should be under innovation and transformation in addition to balancing food production line activities. It has been rated as the best in food production at any time of the day or any age in one’s life. Thus, working under the mission “to bring the best product to people, no matter where they are, what they need for their life, and their slogan is Good Food, Good Life.”
Preferred Choice
Amongst the three companies, I would settle for Nestle. This is not because it is the leading company in the world but rather in research conducted on profiling of nutrients, the findings revealed that Nestles products rated at the lower end of the health rating scale garnered 54% of the net sales in Nestle (Pro Newsletter, 2023). Thus, more than half of its product is considered healthy. The action from the company is an act of transparency that shows that they can work on their weakness of product formation in the market. By sale, the Nestle products had a 17% under the Health Star Rating System (H.S.R.) above 1.5; 18% was below 3.5. at the same time, another 30% had H.S.R. higher than 3.5. notably, that was a good indication that the nutritional value is of good levels. Nestle noted that the 35% remaining comprised products that had not or are not generally subjected to the healthy rating. One encouragement with Nestle is that they focus so much on consumer feedback and improving their products’ nutritional value (Nestle, 2023). They have embraced whole grains, fibers, and protein while lowering fats, sugars, and sodium while maintaining the original taste. In addition, nestles was rated first among the food and beverage companies that address malnutrition. This was based on their products through the disclosure process that ensured the healthiness of their products, thus influencing the consumer in a positive light.
Moreover, Netsle’s products are vast. They give the consumer a variety of preferences to choose from at any given time. Due to that, they are easily available I n the local shelves. Compared to the other two companies, Coca-Cola has limited factors that prevent a particular group of people from enjoying sugar-free drinks. This is most especially due to the preservative in the drink and high calories. At the same time, Kraft Heinz produces more canned food, which requires preservatives to keep it fresh in the supermarket store. Most preservatives are considered chemical, and long-term use is unhealthy for an individual.
Conclusion
Coca-cola, Kraft Heinz, and Nestles are the leading companies in the food and beverage sector. Both have advantages and disadvantages, and people have their preferences regarding specific company products. However, the main major issue is the health and wellness of consumers of these products. Because many companies focus on making profits, consumer protection must be addressed or kept aside. This, as a result, exposes consumers of unhealthy products to medical conditions that most end up being chronic or fatal after a duration of time. My focus on the three companies was to show their development, growth, brands, and the healthiness of the products to consumers. This research has been very effective because, as a writer, I am no longer conversant with the different brands in the market, and I would be more keen to check the nutritional component of products before purchase.
References
Kraft Heinz (2023). The Kraft Heinz Company. https://firsthand.co/company-profiles/food-beverage/kraft-heinz. Accessed on April 30, 2023.
Alonso, T. (2023). How Coca-Cola became one of the most successful brands in history. Cascade: Strategy factory. https://www.cascade.app/studies/how-coca-cola-became-successful
Nestle (2023). Good Food, Good Life: ”Supporting Balanced and Sustainable Diet.” https://www.nestle.com/sustainability/nutrition-health. Accessed on April 30, 2023.
Pro Newsletter (2023). “Nestlé Says Less Than Half of Its Main Portfolio Is Ranked as Healthy” Dow Jones & Company, Inc. https://www.wsj.com/articles/nestle-says-less-than-half-of-its-main-portfolio-is-ranked-as-healthy-53778554
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