Health and nutrition

Product innovation

Management

We prioritise health and nutrition in our programme to deliver growth through innovation, and are driving the development of healthier products across our existing brand portfolios, in the launch or acquisition of new brands, and in the exploration of completely new product areas. In response to the constrained economic environment in South Africa and to better address nutrition inequality, we are strengthening our emphasis on the development of affordable healthier products. This will be reflected in our new strategy to democratise nutrition from 2024 onwards.

Our innovation capability is focused on new product development, and health and nutrition is one of our core focus areas ( see IR). We have a world-class innovation toolbox and commercialisation process, including recently refreshed product-design standards, "health and nutrition by design" framework, enrichment decision toolkit, and updated EWLW nutritional criteria standards. Our innovation management process includes thorough checks from a nutritional, regulatory and legislative perspective, including in relation to nutrition and related labelling and responsible marketing ( see – Responsible marketing), while also accelerating the quality and commercial value.

Through our venture capital fund, we aim to sustain and expand our investment in innovative food and beverage companies. Established in mid-2021, the fund is a central element of our strategy to capitalise on inorganic opportunities that align with our identified growth platforms. Our investment mandate is twofold: firstly, to back food and beverage companies that are in sync with our growth platforms; and secondly, to support disruptive tech-enabled businesses that have the potential to unlock growth for Tiger Brands. A standout investment from this fund is in Herbivore Earthfoods. Founded in South Africa in 2014, the company is on a mission to make healthy, plant-based foods both accessible and affordable. Specialising in meat and dairy alternatives, Herbivore Earthfoods is at the cutting edge of innovation in the plant-based sector.

Performance

In 2023, we launched six healthier products: four nutrition products and two affordable nutrition products.

Our 2023 healthier product launches