INFLUENCE ATTACKED In a just-published Australian study that interviewed high-level people including politicians and civil servants with firsthand experience of these corporate activities, Swinburn says the tactics explain the very slow progress in using public policies to create heathier food environments in this country. “The junk food industry has well-oiled and well-funded machinery to block policies that might threaten their profits,” he says. “This explains New Zealand’s lack of progress on policies such as taxes on sugary drinks, restrictions on marketing junk food to children and healthy food service policies for all schools and government agencies. “These are universally recommended by public health experts, agreed to by countries in World Health Organisation resolutions and have majority public support, but they just don’t get implemented.” Swinburn says the main tactics used by the industry identified in the study included framing the solutions to obesity in terms of personal responsibility, using private dinners and other opportunities for lobbying politicians, cherry-picking and promoting the evidence to suit their case, promotion of deregulation and self-regulatory approaches, funding professional nutrition organisations, sponsoring children’s sport and nutrition education materials, and personal criticism of public health advocates. “The direct influence of the lobbyists on politicians (“we have friends in high places”), ‘revolving door’ of former politicians working for the food industry and former food industry employees working in government, were also common strategies mentioned to influence food policies in favour of the industry,” he says. “Our research also came across examples of how proposed new health policies and industry regulations were axed because politicians didn’t want to upset major political party donors.The food industry directly supports the major political parties in many countries and this clearly buys them influence with the politicians.” He also noted that all of the tactics uncovered by the study were legal ways for a big business to improve its financial performance, but the public should be concerned about how they have been effectively used by the industry to prevent serious action on preventing childhood obesity. “In terms of solutions to counterbalance industry’s power to obstruct progress towards healthier food environments, the first step is greater transparency – sunlight is a great disinfectant,” he says. “Food industry disclosure of the funding they provide to researchers, professional bodies, community groups, lobby groups and political parties would be a good start. “More stringent conflict-of-interest processes, lobby registers and greater involvement of community and expert groups in the policy process would also protect politicians and government agencies from being unduly influenced by the commercial interests of the junk food industry,” Swinburn says. EDITOR'S NOTE Kathryn Calvert Editor NZ FOODTechnology When US president Donald Trump axed the massive 12-nation TPPA trade deal covering 40% of the world’s economy, he made one simple statement. “We’ve been talking about this for a long time,” he said, signing an executive order formally withdrawing from the trade deal and following through on a promise from his presidential campaign. Negotiated by former president Barack Obama’s administration, the trade deal had been thrashed out over five years, with signatories including New Zealand and 11 other countries, aimed at countering China’s influence over the Asia-Pacific region. But Trump considered it a “potential disaster,” saying it was unfair to American manufacturers – despite the majority supporting the TPP - and that he would work hard to develop trade agreements that are in the national interest and benefit American workers including farmers. So is the damage limited for New Zealand food and beverage exporters? We’ve asked some of the industry’s movers and shakers to have their say on what President Trump’s reign might mean for us. The Royal Society of New Zealand Te Aparangi has already expressed grave concern over international research into critical issues like food and water. We’d love to hear your views on the matter, as well as your comments on the article below from food manufacturing critic Professor Boyd Swinburn. It makes for interesting reading…and hopefully robust debate. FOOD INDUSTRY DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION ON THIS? Email editor Kathryn Calvert at kcalvert@hayleymedia.com to have your say THE TRUMP FACTOR The junk food industry’s lobbying and other unsavoury tactics are commonplace and influential in defending products and swaying public policies in New Zealand, University of Auckland global nutrition expert Professor Boyd Swinburn says. Boyd Swinburn
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