FAB-C.04.C - Marketing Practices Reporting
Does the company report information on its marketing practices?
About the data
The WBA Food and Agriculture Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential food and agriculture companies on their efforts to transform global food systems, tracking how companies work towards food that is healthy and nutritious, produced sustainably within planetary boundaries, and accessible and fairly produced for all. The 2026 edition assessed 350 companies spanning the entirety of the food and agriculture value chain, from agricultural inputs and commodities through to manufacturing, retail, and food service. Companies were scored on 23 food and agriculture-specific indicators and 18 core social indicators across four measurement areas: governance, sustainable food systems, healthy food systems, and inclusive food systems. The benchmark is developed in close collaboration with an Expert Review Committee and is designed to incentivise the most influential companies in the sector to adopt sustainable business practices across their own operations and supply chains, addressing critical issues including greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, freshwater use, nutrition, and living incomes for farmers, with human rights and social equity at its core. More information can be found here.
Methodology
Food marketing is pervasive and persuasive, and food and beverage companies play a
significant role in shaping children’s food environments. Children around the world are exposed to
large volumes of unhealthy food marketing, with negative consequences for their diets and health.
Numerous global and regional calls to action to end the harmful impact of food marketing have been
made by governments and international agencies alike, including the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) (UNICEF-WHO, 2023).
Further, information about food can influence consumer preferences, purchasing behaviour and
consumption patterns (GNR, 2020). Next to following ethical marketing practices, companies should
provide clearly visible, accurate and easy-to-understand on-pack food labelling to help consumers make healthier food choices and incentivise food manufacturers and suppliers to deliver more
nutritious foods (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2020).
Research Guidance:
Examples of reporting:
Proportion of marketing spend on healthy and unhealthy products, stratified by media type and by age
Proportion of advertising impressions for healthy and unhealthy, stratified by age and media type
Details (number and value) of sponsorships provided for sporting, cultural or other events/activities that are popular with children and families, using unhealthy brands
Number of unhealthy products that have elements of package or product design that appeal to children (e.g., cartoon characters, celebrities, competitions)
The definition of healthy must be linked to government-endorsed NPM
This indicator is applicable to companies operating primarily in the downstream value chain segments, comprising food and beverage manufacturers and processors, food retailers and restaurants and food services.
significant role in shaping children’s food environments. Children around the world are exposed to
large volumes of unhealthy food marketing, with negative consequences for their diets and health.
Numerous global and regional calls to action to end the harmful impact of food marketing have been
made by governments and international agencies alike, including the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) (UNICEF-WHO, 2023).
Further, information about food can influence consumer preferences, purchasing behaviour and
consumption patterns (GNR, 2020). Next to following ethical marketing practices, companies should
provide clearly visible, accurate and easy-to-understand on-pack food labelling to help consumers make healthier food choices and incentivise food manufacturers and suppliers to deliver more
nutritious foods (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2020).
Research Guidance:
Examples of reporting:
Proportion of marketing spend on healthy and unhealthy products, stratified by media type and by age
Proportion of advertising impressions for healthy and unhealthy, stratified by age and media type
Details (number and value) of sponsorships provided for sporting, cultural or other events/activities that are popular with children and families, using unhealthy brands
Number of unhealthy products that have elements of package or product design that appeal to children (e.g., cartoon characters, celebrities, competitions)
The definition of healthy must be linked to government-endorsed NPM
This indicator is applicable to companies operating primarily in the downstream value chain segments, comprising food and beverage manufacturers and processors, food retailers and restaurants and food services.
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Not Applicable
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report