Work package two will focus on exploring how commercial interests influence food-related inequalities and find systemic commercial leverage points for change.  

Aims

1. To investigate the extent to which company practices across selected food environment domains  and related company corporate political activities  are influencing inequalities in access to healthy food environments.
2. To determine whether there are differences across European countries. 

Why are we doing this research

For a long time, obesity and diet-related NCDs have been referred to as “lifestyle diseases,” caused by unhealthy dietary habits. This perspective completely ignores the societal, commercial, and political circumstances that shape the environment in which individuals’ dietary habits are formed, making individuals the ones responsible for their health.  

Based on this perspective, governments are inclined to favour ‘agentic’ interventions that rely for their effectiveness on individuals changing their behaviour. Nevertheless, such policies tend to increase socioeconomic inequities in health and diet and the food system should be looked at through a new lens.  

The commercial determinants of health (CDoH) are defined as the “systems, practices, and pathways through which commercial actors drive health and equity” and are increasingly recognized as a powerful influence on the development and implementation of recommended best practice policies to prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).  

As such, it is important to unravel the extent to which company practices across selected food environment domains and settings and related company corporate political activities are influencing inequities in access to healthy food environments and whether there are differences across European countries. 

What is involved

1. Assess Socio Economic Position (SEP) differences in food industry practices on food environments and related corporate political activities.  
2. A scoping review will be conducted of the literature on the extent to which company practices on food environments and related corporate political activities across industry sectors (packaged food and non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers - including baby foods and formula milks -, supermarkets, quick service restaurants, and caterers) influence inequalities in access to healthy food environments. 
3. Mapping company practices on food environments across selected food environment domains and settings for lower versus higher SEP populations as well as corporate political activities influencing food environment policies.   This will involve compiling existing food environment data, secondary data on the corporate political activities of the food industry and conducting field work in selected high and low SEP neighbourhoods. From this, an analysis of SEP differences in local food environments and corporate political activities will be carried out. Finally, across sectors and participating countries, an analysis will be performed of the corporate political activities influencing food environment policies of the food industry umbrella trade associations, using publicly available data sourced from the industry itself, governments, the media, and other sources with respect to food provision, marketing, and retail policies. 

Who is involved

Sciensano and University of Ghent (UG), Belgium will lead the research for Work Package two.

The other partners taking part in Work Package 2 are:

Medical University of Silesia (SUM) Poland, UCC (University College Cork) Ireland, Wageningen University & Research (WUR) Netherlands, and Izmir Katip Celebi University (IKCU), Türkiye.

Outputs for Work Package 2

Reviews:

• Evita Willemiek van Duin, Greet Cardon, Stefanie Vandevijvere, Margaret Steele. "The Influence of Industry Practices and Related Corporate Political Activity on Inequities in Access to Healthy Food Environments: A Scoping Review" Centre for Open Science 2024 https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/UX7QT