Benchmarking the Nutrition-Related Policies and Commitments of Major Food Companies in Australia, 2018

Gary Sacks, Ella Robinson, Adrian J. Cameron, Lana Vanderlee, Stefanie Vandevijvere and Boyd Swinburn
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Gary Sacks: Global Obesity Centre (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
Ella Robinson: Global Obesity Centre (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
Adrian J. Cameron: Global Obesity Centre (GLOBE), Institute for Health Transformation, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
Lana Vanderlee: School of Nutrition, Université Laval, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
Stefanie Vandevijvere: Sciensano, Brussels, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
Boyd Swinburn: School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-23

Abstract: The food industry has an important role to play in efforts to improve population diets. This study aimed to benchmark the comprehensiveness, specificity and transparency of nutrition-related policies and commitments of major food companies in Australia. In 2018, we applied the Business Impact Assessment on Obesity and Population Level Nutrition (BIA-Obesity) tool and process to quantitatively assess company policies across six domains. Thirty-four companies operating in Australia were assessed, including the largest packaged food and non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers ( n = 19), supermarkets ( n = 4) and quick-service restaurants ( n = 11). Publicly available company information was collected, supplemented by information gathered through engagement with company representatives. Sixteen out of 34 companies (47%) engaged with data collection processes. Company scores ranged from 3/100 to 71/100 (median: 40.5/100), with substantial variation by sector, company and domain. This study demonstrated that, while some food companies had made commitments to address population nutrition and obesity-related issues, the overall response from the food industry fell short of global benchmarks of good practice. Future studies should assess both company policies and practices. In the absence of stronger industry action, government regulations, such as mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling and restrictions on unhealthy food marketing, are urgently needed.

Keywords: accountability; commercial determinants of health; food company; obesity; policy; population nutrition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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