Top

International Journal of Public Health

Published in:

01-09-2020 | Public Health | Original article

The influence of the sugar-sweetened beverage industry on public policies in Mexico

Authors: Enai Ojeda, Christian Torres, Ángela Carriedo, Mélissa Mialon, Niyati Parekh, Emanuel Orozco

Published in: International Journal of Public Health | Issue 7/2020

Abstract

Objective

The objective of this study was to map and describe the different corporate political activity (CPA) strategies used by the sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) industry to influence public health policymaking geared toward decreasing the consumption of SSB in Mexico.

Methods

We applied an existing approach to identify and monitor the CPA of the SSB industry. A documentary analysis was conducted for two main actors in the SSB industry, for the period 2017–2019, and was triangulated with eleven semi-structured interviews with key informants in public health nutrition and from the SSB industry. The information was analyzed using an existing framework for categorizing the CPA.

Results

Although data were found for six CPA strategies, the SSB industry mainly highlighted its economic importance and spoke openly against the 2014 SSB tax. We documented the industry’s relationships with governmental bodies and civil society actors to promote corporate social responsibility and gain public support.

Conclusions

The SSB industry in Mexico uses a variety of strategies, directly or through third parties, to influence public policies related to the prevention and control of obesity and non-communicable diseases.

Available only for authorised users

Barquera S, Campos I, Rivera J (2013) Mexico attempts to tackle obesity: the process, results, push backs and future challenges. Obes Rev 14:69–78. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12096CrossRefPubMed

Barquera S, Balderas N, Rodríguez E et al (2020) Código Nutricia: nutrición y conflicto de interés en la academia. Salud Publica Mex 62:313–318. https://doi.org/10.21149/11291CrossRefPubMed

Barquera S, Sanchez-Bazan K, Carriedo A et al (2018) The development of a national obesity and diabetes prevention and control strategy in Mexico: actors, actions and conflict of interests. In: UK Health Forum (ed). Public health and the food and drinks industry: The governance and ethics of interaction. Lessons from research, policy and practice. UK Health Forum, UK, pp 18–30

Braverman-Bronstein A, Camacho-García-Formentí D, Zepeda-Tello R et al (2019) Mortality attributable to sugar sweetened beverages consumption in Mexico: an update. Int J Obes. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-019-0506-xCrossRef

Brownell KD, Warner KE (2009) The perils of ignoring history: big tobacco played dirty and millions died. how similar is big food. Milbank Q 87:259–294. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0009.2009.00555.xCrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Calvillo A, Székely A (2018) La trama oculta de la epidemia: obesidad, industria alimentaria y conflicto de interés. In: El Poder del Consmidor. https://elpoderdelconsumidor.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/la-trama-oculta-d-la-epidemia-obesidad-2018.pdf. Accessed 20 Jan 2020

Carriedo A (2017) A policy analysis of the 2014 Mexican soda tax. Ph.D. thesis London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London. https://doi.org/10.17037/PUBS.04648204

Charvel S, Cobo F, Hernández-Ávila M (2015) A process to establish nutritional guidelines to address obesity: lessons from Mexico. J Public Health Policy 36(4):426–439CrossRef

Donaldson E (2015) Advocating for Sugar-sweetened Beverage Taxation | A case study of Mexico. In: Johns Hopkins Bloom. Sch. Public Heal. https://www.jhsph.edu/departments/health-behavior-and-society/_pdf/Advocating_For_Sugar_Sweetened_Beverage_Taxation.pdf Acceded 20 Jan 2020

Gómez EJ (2019) Coca-Cola’s political and policy influence in Mexico: understanding the role of institutions, interests and divided society. Health Policy Plan 34:520–528. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czz063CrossRefPubMed

Hastings G (2012) Why corporate power is a public health priority. BMJ 2012(345):e5124. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e5124CrossRef

Hawkins B, McCambridge J (2014) Industry actors, think tanks, and alcohol policy in the United Kingdom. J Public Health 104:1363–1369. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301858CrossRef

Jaichuen N, Phulkerd S, Certthkrikul N et al (2018) Corporate political activity of major food companies in Thailand: an assessment and policy recommendations. Glob Health 14:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-018-0432-zCrossRef

Madureira Lima J, Galea S (2018) Corporate practices and health: a framework and mechanisms. Globalization and Health 14:21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-018-0336-yCrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Mialon M, Gomes F, da S (2019) Public health and the ultra-processed food and drink products industry: corporate political activity of major transnationals in latin America and the Caribbean. Public Health Nutr 22:1898–1908. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019000417CrossRefPubMed

Mialon M, Julia C, Hercberg S (2018) Nutri-score saga in France: how food industry actors tried to influence public health policies and public opinion. World Nutr 9:109–120. https://doi.org/10.26596/wn.201892109-120CrossRef

Mialon M, Mialon J (2018) Analysis of corporate political activity strategies of the food industry: evidence from France. Public Health Nutr 21:3407–3421. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980018001763CrossRefPubMed

Mialon M, Mialon J (2017) Corporate political activity of the dairy industry in France: an analysis of publicly available information. Public Health Nutr 20:2432–2439. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980017001197CrossRefPubMed

Mialon M, Swinburn B, Allender S, Sacks G (2017) ‘Maximising shareholder value’: a detailed insight into the corporate political activity of the Australian food industry. Aust N Z J Public Health 41:165–171. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12639CrossRefPubMed

Mialon M, Swinburn B, Allender S, Sacks G (2016a) Systematic examination of publicly-available information reveals the diverse and extensive corporate political activity of the food industry in Australia. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-2955-7CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Mialon M, Swinburn B, Wate J et al (2016b) Analysis of the corporate political activity of major food industry actors in Fiji. Glob Health 12:1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-016-0158-8CrossRef

Mialon M, Swinburn B, Sacks G (2015) A proposed approach to systematically identify and monitor the corporate political activity of the food industry with respect to public health using publicly available information. Obes Rev 16:519–530. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12289CrossRefPubMed

Moscetti C, Taylor A (2018) From participation to power: how the sugar-sweetened beverage industry shapes policy through multi-stakeholders coalitions. In: UK Health Forum (ed). Public health and the food and drinks industry: The governance and ethics of interaction. Lessons from research, policy and practice. UK Health Forum, United Kingdom, pp 102–109

Moodie R, Stuckler D, Monteiro C et al (2013) Profits and pandemics: prevention of harmful effects of tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed food and drink industries. Lancet 381:670–679. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)62089-3CrossRefPubMed

Nieto C, Rodríguez E, Sánchez-Bazán K et al (2019) The INFORMAS healthy food environment policy index (Food-EPI) in Mexico: an assessment of implementation gaps and priority recommendations. Obes Rev 20(S2):67–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12814CrossRefPubMed

Pan American Health Organization (2015) Alimentos y bebidas ultraprocesados en América Latina: tendencias, efecto sobre la obesidad e implicaciones para las políticas públicas. https://iris.paho.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/7698/9789275318645_esp.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y. Accessed 20 Jan 2020

Perlroth N (2017) Programas de espionaje fueron usados contra promotores de un impuesto a los refrescos en México. In: New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/es/2017/02/11/espanol/america-latina/programas-de-espionaje-fueron-usados-contra-impulsores-de-un-impuesto-a-los-refrescos-en-mexico.html

Pfister K (2016) Leaked: Coca-Cola’s Worldwide Political Strategy to Kill Soda Taxes. In: Medium. https://medium.com/cokeleak/leaked-coca-colas-worldwide-political-strategy-to-kill-soda-taxes-9717f361fb04 Accessed 01 May 2020

Popkin BM (2013) Bellagio declaration 2013: countering big food’s undermining of healthy food policies. Obes Rev 14:9–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12104CrossRefPubMed

Popkin BM (2004) The nutrition transition in the developing world. Dev Policy Rev. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8659.2003.00225.xCrossRef

Scott C, Carriedo A, Knai C (2016) The Influence of the Food Industry Public Health Governance. Insights from Mexico and the United States. In: Kenworthy N, MacKenzie R, Lee K (eds) Case Studies on Corporations and Global Health Governance: Impacts, Influence and Accountability, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1st edn, pp 41

Ulucanlar S, Fooks GJ, Gilmore AB (2016) The policy dystopia model: an interpretive analysis of tobacco industry political activity. PLoS Med. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002125CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

World Health Organization (2017) Draft approach for the prevention and management of conflicts of interest in the policy development and implementation of nutrition programmes at country level decision-making process and tool 1. Management of conflicts of interest for public officials. https://www.who.int/nutrition/consultation-doi/nutrition-tool.pdf?ua=1. Accessed 20 Jan 2020

Title: The influence of the sugar-sweetened beverage industry on public policies in Mexico
Authors: Enai Ojeda
Christian Torres
Ángela Carriedo
Mélissa Mialon
Niyati Parekh
Emanuel Orozco
Publication date: 01-09-2020
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Keyword: Public Health
Published in: International Journal of Public Health / Issue 7/2020
Print ISSN: 1661-8556
Electronic ISSN: 1661-8564
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-020-01414-2

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

The influence of the sugar-sweetened beverage industry on public policies in Mexico

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 7/2020

Late presenters among minority patients with chronic hepatitis C infection in the USA

Female genital mutilation and contraceptive use: findings from the 2014 Egypt demographic health survey

No land for food: prevalence of food insecurity in ethnic communities enclosed by sugarcane monocrop in Colombia

The psychosocial impact of flu influenza pandemics on healthcare workers and lessons learnt for the COVID-19 emergency: a rapid review

Emancipation versus normality in the Global South

Commercial determinants of health: a proposed research agenda