Consumer group Choice is comparing the food industry's active resistance to health policies with the tactics of big tobacco companies.
Choice campaigns and policy team lead Katinka Day said the Federal Government needed to curb food industry attempts to influence policy for commercial gain.
“The Federal Government must loosen the food industry’s grip on food regulation if we’re going to successfully help Australians find healthier food options with better information and support,” she said.
The recommendation forms part of Choice’s submission to the Select Committee into the Obesity Epidemic in Australia, with public hearings for the inquiry held this week.
“Similar to big tobacco, the interests of the food industry are entirely at odds with public interests,” Day said.
“If we’re going to address obesity and make sure people have the clear information they need, we need a strong food regulatory system that is free from undue influence from the food and beverage industry.”
Day said companies such as Nestle, Kelloggs, Coca-Cola, and other food and beverage manufacturers currently played an active role in policy decision making through formal policy processes, consultations, and through providing research and advice to governments.
“These companies don’t have an interest in creating healthy, consumer-friendly food environments – they have an interest in selling their products,” she said.
“We shouldn’t repeat the mistakes of the past. We know it would be outrageous to give tobacco companies the reins when it comes to tobacco control laws – so why are we giving the food and beverage lobbyists a similar level of influence in debates about health and food labelling?”
In its submission, Choice outlined a number of tactics it believes food and beverage companies use to influence food and health policy, including:
• Paying for conflicted evidence: Choice said big food and beverage companies had funded a number of research papers that support practices that run contrary to dietary advice.
• Self-regulation and voluntary codes: ‘Collaborative forums’ such as the Food and Health Dialogue or self-regulatory codes to restrict junk food marketing to kids only serve to ward off real, effective regulation and act as a distraction from genuine reform, Choice stated.
• Influencing policy in favour of industry by providing conflicted experts: Sanitarium was heavily involved in developing the health star ratings algorithm, and many Sanitarium products that are loaded with sugar score quite well, Choice says.
