Nutrition & Health

Many crops are grown in poor, remote rural areas where access to clean water, health facilities and sanitation is limited. This can be extremely detrimental for the health and wellbeing of farming communities.

Nutrition and health are the focus of UN Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 3, which aim to make good health, nutrition and zero hunger a reality for all.

Smiling male nurse posing with his arm crossed and standing against a blue wall with a red cross on it

Our initiatives include:

Ensuring our employees have access to enough safe sources of food, water and sanitation during working hours
Running the Healthy Living Campaign to reach communities with campaigns on health and nutrition
Promoting crop diversification to farmers to improve food and nutrition security
Mobile medical screenings in rural areas

Manufacturing and retailing fortified dairy products for consumers in African markets
Supporting manufacturing customers globally to reduce salt, fat and sugar through ingredients solutions
Supporting communities through the COVID-19 pandemic

Goals and Progress

We report on the goals and targets in the Human and Social Capital sections of our 2020 Annual Report.

As with many social change initiatives, we cannot achieve progress at scale in isolation. So, we work with other initiatives and partners such as:

WBCSD Food Reform for Nutrition and Health (FReSH)
Chatham House: the business case for investment in nutrition
The END Fund – Neglected Tropical Diseases
The Power of Nutrition

Swiss Tropical Public Health Institute
Red Cross Society of Côte d’Ivoire

Monitoring through AtSource

AtSource+ allows customers to track a number of social and health metrics in the supply chain including:

Percentage of farmer households with access to healthcare facilities
Percentage of farmer households with access to clean drinking water and sanitation
Percentage of farmer households that are food secure, using the MAHFP methodology

Number of beneficiaries from health infrastructure and equipment. For example, the construction and renovation of clinics, water-wells and sanitary facilities
Number of beneficiaries receiving healthcare services, including medicines, health check-ups, HIV testing, community health workers, hospitals and mobile medical screenings
Number of beneficiaries attending health sensitisation or training on issues like chronic disease prevention and management
Number of beneficiaries receiving nutrition support such as support for healthy eating, and micronutrient fortification

Helping farming communities meet their own health and nutrition needs

The combined expertise of our local sustainability teams with partners such as Funcafé, TechnoServe, Côte d’Ivoire's National Nutrition program, USAID (United States Agency for International Development), and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) delivers solutions to improve access to clean water, healthcare services and supplies, and nutritious food.

Initiatives range from using geo-location to identify and screen for infant malnutrition in farming communities in Côte d'Ivoire - where one in five children experience stunted growth and development - to fortifying key staples with vitamins and minerals in our processing facilities.

Read ofi news

COVID-19 Impacts on Small-Scale Farmers Underline the Need for Building Resilience

While global food supply chains may be starting to heal from the COVID-19 pandemic, food and agri-business Olam International underlines the importance of addressing the long-term wellness and operational resilience needs of those small-scale farmers in emerging markets who provide much of the world’s ingredients and raw materials.

Group photo of a group of men in Nigeria receiving donations

Seeking the Help of Pastors to Help Protect Farmers Against COVID-19

Pastors in Papua New Guinea are on a mission to help keep coffee farmers and their communities shielded from the coronavirus.

Group of Pastors in Papua New Guinea gathering in a church

Improving the Livelihoods and Nutrition of Cashew Farmers

The countries where cashew is produced face high rates of malnutrition, with many farming households unable to eat healthily themselves. We set out to better understand the situation of the cashew households in Olam’s sourcing network; what kind of food they typically eat and if it is enough to meet their food and nutrition needs year-round.

Man holding up a poster in front of group of female farm workers

How can companies implement effective workforce nutrition programs?

By Clara Tessler, Nutrition & Health Manager, ofi

Malnutrition and poor health around the world continue to negatively impact businesses as result of working days lost to illness and reduced workforce productivity.

Want to talk?

We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch today.