The global food and beverage industry is failing to produce healthy and affordable products, according to a study by the Utrecht-based Access to Nutrition Foundation (ATNF) published on Wednesday.

The third Global Access to Nutrition Index ranks the world’s 22 largest food and beverage companies on their contributions to addressing the twin global challenges of obesity and diet-related diseases, and poor nutrition.

The 2018 index shows world’s largest food & beverage companies need to make their products healthier, more affordable and more accessible to tackle global nutrition crisis.

The 22 food and beverage companies included in the 2018 index generate an estimated $500bn in annual sales in over 200 countries and their products play a significant and increasing role in the diets of millions of people.

Analysis of 23,013 products sold in nine countries by the companies in the index reveals that less than a third of them can be classified as healthy.

Nestlé tops the 2018 index of best performers with an overall ranking of 6.8.  Anglo-Dutch Unilever is second with a score of 6.7. FrieslandCampina, the Dutch dairy cooperative, has improved the most since 2016, climbing four places in the ranking to an overall score of six out of 10.

FrieslandCampina was singled out by the organisation, saying its rise in the ranking to fourth place is due to ‘new strategy, new initiatives to tackle undernutrition and more responsible marketing commitments.’

The Global Index is currently funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Dutch foreign affairs ministry.