Food industry influences on international health policy: An overview

Obesity poses a serious problem for domestic and international food companies. In today's investment economy, companies must not only make a profit but must continually report growth in profits to satisfy the demands of investors and Wall Street analysts. But prevention of obesity requires people to consume less, and to do so in food environments of great overabundance. To increase sales in this highly competitive food marketplace, food and beverage companies have increasingly focused marketing efforts on new targets: children, minorities, and populations in emerging economies. These efforts not only include advertising and the marketing of products as “better for you,” but also lobbying governments for favorable policies, engaging in public-private partnerships with government and health organizations, and sponsoring researchers, health and community organizations, and other influential individuals and groups. Food companies invoke personal responsibility as the key factor in obesity, emphasize the role of physical activity, and work to discredit the science linking their products to obesity. These methods are mostly visible and legal; occasionally companies resort to illegal methods such as bribery. The effects of food industry marketing on the health of populations in emerging economies suggest that voluntary efforts to curtail such practices are unlikely to succeed. Instead, governments concerned about rising rates of non-communicable diseases need to consider regulatory approaches to restrict food and beverage marketing, especially to children.