- Campaign will provide access to objective scientific advice on the role sugar can play in the diet
- Part of Illovo Sugar Africa’s Thriving African Community purpose
- Activity across Southern Africa supports AB Sugar’s global commitment to reach over 25 million people around the world by 2030
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 AB 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 AB 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:
- Access to quality health care to all employees and their dependants, either through a network of group-run primary health care clinics and hospitals, or through the provision of medical insurance schemes.
- The Group’s medical facilities across its six countries of operation are staffed with qualified health personnel, including medical doctors. The focus of the health care service is on health promotion, preventative services and primary health care. These and other medical services are extended to surrounding local communities where no other suitable public medical facilities exist. They also provide public health services where they are not supplied by government such as access to potable water, sanitation and refuse removal.
- Provision of community services in respect of maternal and child health, reproductive health and neglected tropical diseases (e.g.bilharzia) and administer effective malaria control and treatment programmes in susceptible areas.
- Participation in health governance structures, serving as an active donor to public and private health services.
- Illovo Sugar Africa’s Thriving African Community purpose supports AB 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 AB 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 AB Sugar has operations to follow later 2020.