Nestle, PepsiCo and others use public funds to develop harmful snacks | Society | The Guardian
▻http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/14/nestle-pepsico-and-others-use-public-funds-to-develop-harmful-snacks
Snack food and confectionery companies, including Nestlé and PepsiCo, are paid substantial government subsidies to help them make products that will damage the nation’s health, according to charities involved in heart attack prevention and obesity.
Mondelez, which split from Kraft and owns the Cadbury’s brand, was given nearly £638,000 by Innovate UK – formerly known as the Technology Strategy Board – from 2013 to 2015 to help the multinational giant develop a process to distribute nuts and raisins more regularly in its chocolate bars.
Nestlé received more than £487,000 to invent an energy-efficient machine for making chocolate, while PepsiCo was awarded £356,000 to help develop new ways of drying potatoes and vegetables to make crisps.
The Coronary Prevention Group, in association with the World Obesity Federation, says government money should not be spent on initiatives that will produce unhealthy snack foods and worsen the country’s serious obesity and disease problems.
