Abstract
Unhealthy diets are one of the main risk factors of death and disability globally, and significantly driven by foods that are ultra-processed, and/or high in unhealthy fats, free sugars, and sodium. Approximately ten food companies globally dominate the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of these unhealthy products, with a significant share of their product portfolio comprising unhealthy high-profit margin products. These companies promote policy constructions such as partnerships between the food industry and governments and other non-commercial organisations, industry self-regulation, or industry sponsorship, to improve the food environment. Nevertheless these approaches have been consistently demonstrated as a failure in public policy, unlikely to result in optimal health gains. This paper explores the role of commercial food actors in food policy through the lens of the Gates Foundation-funded “Clove Project” project on emergency food assistance in Lebanon. We employed a participatory, qualitative systems mapping approach with key stakeholders to explore emergency food assistance, and specifically the role of the food industry in emergency food support in Lebanon. Many partnerships and sponsorships between food or humanitarian organizations, and food corporations were documented, for example Pepsi and the World Food Programme; and the sponsorship of regional food banks by Coca Cola and Nestle. Implications from our research include: the complexity of managing conflicts of interest in the context of acute food emergencies; the high visibility of corporate presence in emergency food assistance, yet with limited actual investment and impact; and opportunities for partnership with local food businesses embedded in the community.
Presenters
Cecile KnaiProfessor of Public Health Policy; Head of Department, Health Services and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE, CONFLICT OF INTEREST, INDUSTRY STRATEGIES
