Healthy Living Focus of New External Scientific Advisory Council

PARIS, January 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

The Consumer Goods Forum Takes Work on Health and Wellness to Next Level 

The Consumer Goods Forum (the "CGF") today announced the creation of an independent External Scientific Advisory Council (the "Council"). The Council will be advising The Consumer Goods Forum's Health & Wellness Pillar. It will counsel on emerging issues and trends to inspire the CGF to accelerate achievement of the Health & Wellness Resolutions, Commitments and Positive Actions and to prepare the way forward. It will support the CGF's mission of empowering consumers worldwide to adopt healthier lifestyles through a culture of prevention and multi-stakeholder collaborations.

The Council members, who work on a pro bono basis, have been selected for their expertise, knowledge and specific interest in matters relating to health and wellness. They will help to enable a collaborative approach amongst CGF members towards health and wellness as well as among organisations and institutions in the public and private sector who share this common goal.

Onno Franse, Program Director Healthy Living & Environment, Royal Ahold, and Retailer Co-Chair of the Health & Wellness Steering Committee said, "Health and wellness is one of the key strategic priorities of The Consumer Goods Forum and, together with my fellow Health & Wellness Steering Committee members, we believe that the formation of an External Scientific Advisory Council is crucial to supporting and providing further expertise to the Pillar and in the development of its agenda."

Laurent Chastain, Head of the Corporate Wellness Unit, Nestlé S.A. and Manufacturer Co-Chair of the Health & Wellness Steering Committee said, "The creation of the Council is yet further evidence of the importance we are putting on a multi-stakeholder and collaborative approach to improving the lifestyles of people all over the world. The Council will help ensure our group remains on track and focused on the issues that matter most."

The Council had their first working session to review and agree the long-term strategy in New York on 21^st January.

Inaugural Council Members: 

1.Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, PhD, Robert Harding Inaugural Chair in Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto; Co-Director of the SickKids Center for Global Child Health; and Founding Director of the Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, at the Aga Khan University.

2. Pierre Chandon, PhD, L'Oréal Chaired Professor of Marketing - Innovation and Creativity and Director of the Sorbonne INSEAD Behavioural Lab.

3.James O. Hill, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, Executive Director, Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, Director, Center for Human Nutrition, Director, Colorado Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC), University of Colorado School of Medicine.

4.Stephan Jacob, PhD, Professor and Endocrinologist & Diabetologist, Cardiometabolic Institute, Villingen Schwenningen & TÜBINGEN University.

5.Ellen E. Wartella, PhD, Al-Thani Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University.

About The Consumer Goods Forum 

The Consumer Goods Forum ("the CGF") is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members.  It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format.  Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 2.5 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises 50 manufacturer and retailer CEOs.

The CGF's mission is, "Bringing together consumer goods manufacturers and retailers in pursuit of business practices for efficiency and positive change across our industry benefiting shoppers, consumers and the world without impeding competition". It provides a unique global platform for the development of global industry processes and standards as well as sharing best practices. Its activities are organised around the following strategic priorities: Sustainability, Product Safety, Health & Wellness, and End-to-End Value Chain & Standards, each of which is central to better serving consumers.

The CGF's success is driven by the active participation of its members who together develop and lead the implementation of best practices along the value chain. With its headquarters in Paris and its regional offices in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, the CGF serves its members throughout the world.

For more information, please visit: http://www.theconsumergoodsforum.com