Health & Nutrition
A sustainable, nutrition-sensitive food supply chain can bridge the gap between diet and health by meeting the nutritional needs of our communities. As Cargills evolved into one of the largest agricultural production and retailing networks in Sri Lanka, we took on a central role in shaping the local agriculture sector to reflect advances in nutritional science, and in helping consumers make informed and smart decisions about the food they consume. Cargills translated good nutrition into good business by addressing three challenges faced by consumers; access to nutritious produce, guaranteed food safety, and access to healthier food options.
HEALTH & NUTRITION ------
Making Nutrition Cheaper & Accessible
Some of the leading causes of deaths in Sri Lanka stem from non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease and are accountable for nearly 75 percent (World Health Organization NCD Country Profiles, 2014). Most chronic NCDs are preventable and if not, the onset of it can be delayed if risk factors such as smoking, alcohol, obesity, unhealthy diet, high salt, sugar, trans fats and sedentary lifestyles are addressed early on. In order to enrich the lives and well-being of consumers, we feel the need to create awareness and encourage them to follow healthy lifestyles.
Dedicated to delivering superior products while containing the recommended levels of sugar, salt and fat, our research and development team maintain the unique taste derived from our product range by constantly testing and re-engineering recipes to ensure all our existing and new products contain the nutritional expectations of our consumers while addressing the health issues we face as a country.
Further, we have provided our product development team with a set specific nutrient criterion that is to be utilized in all food products. We work closely with state universities to collate expert knowledge and provide the healthiest products to consumers. Our focus is to utilize fresh Sri Lankan milk and natural fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins, minerals & fiber in our product range as much as possible.
- All our dairy products are manufactured using local fresh milk which is a rich source of several essential nutrients, including protein, calcium, vitamin A and vitamin D
- Our products contain real fruits as a key ingredient which is rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber
- Our Knuckles spring water is bottled at source to retain all-natural elements of the water from the pristine mountain which the unpolluted environment possesses
- Our Kotmale set and drinking yoghurt contains probiotic which helps improve gut health
- Our Kotmale natural cheese is locally produced which retains its freshness and also contains high- quality protein & amino acids - providing the essential building blocks for strong muscles and calcium for strong bones & teeth
- Our Milk with Oats is a healthier fresh milk-based on-the-go breakfast choice with less amount of added sugar with the added benefit of natural oats
- Our MSG-free SAM’s chicken sausages are fortified with Omega 3 chia seed oil which promotes better heart health
- Our KIST jam is fortified with Vitamin A & D
Food Safety
Our product development teams abide by specific nutrient criteria across the Cargills food value chain to ensure food safety. Our actions continue to be backed by the implementation and stringent compliance primarily to internal policies and regulations specifically designed and implemented for food safety, quality and nutrition, followed by our compliance in equal measure to locally and globally declared policies, regulatory frameworks and reference standards. We empower consumers through responsible labeling and marketing to make informed decisions, including the Cargills nutritional information table on our product labels.
Responsible Marketing and Labelling
Our food manufacturing operations follow a standard format called the "Cargills Nutritional Information Table" in our labeling which gives accurate information on Energy, Protein, Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Carbohydrate, Sugar and Salt per serving as well as per 100g/ml. Furthermore, in addition to being fully compliant with Sri Lankan laws and regulations we also ensure our food products, ingredients and labelling are factual and backed by proven scientific research.
Good Harvest: Residual Agrochemical Free Vegetables/Fresh Produce
Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) have been long promoted across the Cargills farming network to reinforce socially responsible agriculture. We strengthened our commitment to GAP by partnering with the Department of Agriculture to introduce Sri Lanka’s very own SL-GAP certification in 2019, implementing a set of globally accepted standards across our farming network. We leverage our retail network to market a wide variety of fresh produce under the ‘Good Harvest’ label, Sri Lanka’s first brand of GAP-certified produce cultivated with controlled and audited fertiliser and pesticide application to ensure food safety.
BeeSafe: Organic Fresh Produce
The Cargills BeeSafe range of completely organic fresh produce bridges the gap in the market for toxin-free, organic, fresh produce at affordable prices. This range of ecologically cultivated produce offers numerous benefits to consumers as they are free of agrochemicals and rich in nutrients. It also contributes to environmental sustainability by eliminating the use of harmful chemicals. BeeSafe farmers employ scientifically proven biological processes in agriculture, introducing microorganisms, natural herbicides, and pesticides as an integrated system to maximise yields while reducing farmers’ exposure to harmful chemicals.
