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Press Releases and Statements

ABF Sugar takes Making Sense of Sugar campaign to a global audience – 13th November 2019

ABF Sugar today announced the global launch of the ‘Making Sense of Sugar’ campaign which aims to provide access to objective scientific advice on sugar and the role it can play in the diet.

Making Sense of Sugar was first launched as a UK campaign in 2014 and has now been expanded to have a global focus. Today, the campaign is launched in Malawi, with plans to roll it out in Zambia and Spain by the end of 2019, with other countries to follow in 2020.

Central to the campaign is the Making Sense of Sugar website – www.makingsenseofsugar.com– which provides information about sugar in a way which is simple, straightforward and informative. It addresses the myths around sugar, provides information on the different types of sugar, how they are used as well as gives consumers guidance on how to read labels on foods and drinks.

The campaign forms part of ABF Sugar’s ‘Global Mind, Local Champions’ sustainability framework which is made up of three broad pillars of sustainability: building rural communities, thriving and healthy communities and consuming resources responsibility. The thriving and healthy communities pillar includes the commitment to provide access to objective scientific advice on sugar, the diet and health to over 25 million people around the world by 2030. Commenting on the launch of the global campaign, Dr Mark Carr, CEO, ABF Sugar:

“In 2018 we set ourselves a commitment to provide access to objective scientific advice on sugar, the diet and health to over 25 million people around the world by 2030. It’s an ambitious commitment but we believe to tackle the obesity, malnutrition and other dietary issues affecting countries where we are located requires such ambition, profile and investment. 

“Despite the differing market environments in our operating countries, this campaign has the same objective – ensuring we are helping consumers, our colleagues and the communities where we operate to access robust information on the role sugar can play in the diet. We do this whilst also recognising the individual country’s differing economic and diverse nutritional needs”.

Malawi, through Illovo Sugar Malawi, is the first Southern Africa country to roll out the Making Sense of Sugar campaign as education plays a key part in supporting consumers in the country on food choices. This is within the context of specific challenges facing the country including diet staples, food security, rising non-communicable diseases rates. At the same time, malnutrition and micro-nutrient, including vitamin A, deficiency remains an issue for Malawians.

Dr Carr continued:

“I’m delighted that Making Sense of Sugar has launched in Malawi. We have a vital role to play in not only educating people in Malawi about our ingredient, but also in the continued support we provide in terms of vitamin A supplementation and screening, and via the 12 company-run clinics which focus on health promotion, preventative services and primary health care.

“I look forward to the campaign rolling out in further countries in the coming months.”

Through Making Sense of Sugar, ABF Sugar is calling for workable solutions to solve a complex issue. In addition to educating the next generation on the importance of a balanced and varied diet, the business has also supported primary school teachers by working with the British Nutrition Foundation to provide online food training courses and food education kits. Through unrestricted educational grants, the campaign also continues to support research to help inform policy makers and shape future policy.

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Notes to Editors:

 

Illovo Sugar Africa launches the Making Sense of Sugar campaign in Southern Africa – 13th November 2019

Illovo Sugar Africa today announced the launch in Southern Africa of the ‘Making Sense of Sugar’ campaign which aims to inform and educate people on the role sugar can play in the diet.

Making Sense of Sugar was first launched by ABF Sugar (the parent company of Illovo Sugar Africa) as a UK campaign in 2014 and is now being rolled out in other countries. Today, the campaign launched in Malawi with the content based on Malawian dietary patterns and available guidelines. The campaign will next roll out to Zambia and later this year and in South Africa in early 2020. Other countries where ABF Sugar operates will follow later in 2020.

Central to the campaign is the Making Sense of Sugar website – www.makingsenseofsugar.com/mw – which provides information about sugar in a way which is simple, straightforward and informative. It addresses the myths around sugar, provides information on the different types of sugar and how they are used, as well as giving consumers guidance on how to interpret labels on food and drinks.

The campaign is aligned to Illovo Sugar Africa’s Thriving African Community purpose. The business has six operations in Southern Africa where the countries are faced with varying social and economic determinants which have a significant influence in terms of people’s diet choices, nutrition and prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases.

Illovo Sugar Africa is already behind a number of initiatives which support the communities in which it operates in Southern Africa. These include:

Illovo Sugar Africa’s Thriving African Community purpose supports ABF Sugar’s ‘Global Mind, Local Champions’ sustainability framework which is made up of three broad pillars of sustainability: building rural communities, thriving and healthy communities and consuming resources responsibility.  The thriving and healthy communities pillar includes the commitment to provide access to objective scientific advice on sugar, the diet and health to over 25 million people around the world by 2030.

Commenting on the launch of the campaign in Malawi, Gavin Dalgleish, Group Managing Director, Illovo Sugar Africa:

“For many years, Illovo Sugar Africa has been supporting local initiatives in the sugar and health space; the launch of Making Sense of Sugar is a natural next step. Extending Making Sense of Sugar into Southern Africa demonstrates our continued commitment to being part of the debate on food security, good nutrition as well as helping consumers understand our ingredient.

“We are also delighted that, through our Thriving African Community programme, we are contributing to ABF Sugar’s 2030 commitment to provide access to objective scientific advice on sugar, the diet and health to over 25 million people around the world by 2030.

“Our aim is to continue to help build thriving African communities beyond our time.”

In addition to Malawi and Zambia, the campaign will also be rolled out to Spain by the end of 2019 and South Africa in early 2020. Other countries where ABF Sugar has operations to follow later 2020.

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Notes to Editors:

 

30th April 2018

Tackling obesity: What the UK can learn from other countries

Thinktank 2020health has today published a new report ‘Tackling Obesity: What the UK can learn from other countries’ which explores a number of programmes and policy measures being implemented globally to tackle childhood obesity.

The latest report builds on two previous reports published by 2020health on the topic of obesity.

The first report, Careless Eating Costs Lives focused on a range of solutions, many of which were connected to diet.  The second report, Fat Chance? Exploring the evidence on who becomes obese, examined 16 data-sets to determine ‘who’ is obese in the UK and what are the determining correlates linked to rising levels of obesity.

All three reports have been funded by unrestricted educational grants from ABF Sugar and the views expressed within these reports do not necessarily reflect those of ABF Sugar.

 

4th November 2015

Fat Chance? Exploring the evidence on who becomes obese – press release (20kb, pdf)

Fat Chance? Exploring the evidence on who becomes obese – full report (720kb, pdf) 

A year on since their last report Careless Eating Costs Lives, 2020health has released a new study examining the wealth of current knowledge and data on obesity. The study seeks to address one crucial question: ‘Who exactly is becoming obese?’

The study looked at 16 data-sets to determine ‘who’ is obese in the UK, and what are the key correlates linked to rising levels of obesity. Julia Manning, Chief Executive, 2020health believes the report confirms the incredibly complex nature of the challenge that we face to improve the health of the nation.

 

13th October 2014

Careless eating costs lives – press release (20kb, pdf)

Careless eating costs lives – full report (720kb, pdf)

Nothing less than a cross-sector 5-10 year strategy is required to tackle the obesity crisis, according to a new report by 2020health.

Click the links below to read a selection of media coverage the 2020health report has received to-date.

 

17th September 2014

Making Sense of Sugar Campaign Launched By ABF Sugar (496kb, pdf)

As the obesity debate continues to capture the nation’s attention, a new campaign launches today, Making Sense of Sugar, to help inform and educate people about sugar, the role it can play as part of a healthy balanced diet, and to help people to make better informed choices about what they consume.