Page 17 - Food&Drink September 2019

it needs to do so within a structured plan.
The first step in developing a social licence is identifying the most highly involved stakeholders, the influencers. Often it is the ‘highly involved’ who shape the argument and pass on information to the ‘attentives’, ‘browsers’ and ‘general public’.
By addressing the highly involved first, an organisation or industry is able to shape the conversation. Advertising rarely changes minds once they’re made up.
The second step is assessing society’s expectations. This is merely the beginning of a positive plan for an industry or company to engage, evaluate and improve its product and, importantly, the perceptions of its product.
So, here is the challenge. The sugar industry must acknowledge the dangers of a high-sugar diet, and also provide suggestions for
improvement; in fact the industry should become an advocate for those who need to reduce their sugar intake.
In order to earn a social licence to operate, industry participants must demonstrate genuine concern for their customers who struggle with the daily challenge of maintaining a healthy diet.
care – not simply after meals, but also after a sweet treat.
Clearly, a healthy diet should contain sugar – the right amount of sugar. In fact, I am one of the industry’s strongest defenders and I will tell you why. Because, by being sensible and getting healthy, I have managed to lose 20 kilos – and I’m only 165cm tall. I did not give up
BUSINESS INSIGHT
“ The sugar industry must acknowledge the dangers of a high-sugar diet and should become an advocate for those who need to reduce their sugar intake.”
✷ ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
There are many contributors to poor health, not just too much sugar. There’s the quantity and quality of food and amount of exercise. Perhaps the industry can address the negative aspect of too much glucose which, when stored, becomes fat. Or perhaps highlight the need for dental
sugar to do this. Sugar is an integral, if reduced, part of my healthy diet.
So, if the industry can step up and own the negatives, the positives will become the story. If the industry can take charge of its own destiny, sugar will remain a positive contribution tothenationaldiet. ✷
Katherine Teh is the
founder and managing
director of Futureye, a
niche consultancy
specialising in social
licence strategy to reduce
risk and enhance societal support. It works with public and private sector clients to build capacity for handling the challenges of reputation in a fast-changing world where community expectations, rather than technical risks, play an ever more potent role in political and regulatory risk.
www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | September 2019 | Food&Drink business | 17