Framing a New Nutrition Policy: Changes on Key Stakeholder’s Discourses throughout the Implementation of the Chilean Food Labelling Law

Fernanda Mediano, Camila Fierro, Camila Corvalán, Marcela Reyes and Teresa Correa ()
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Fernanda Mediano: School of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8960040, Chile
Camila Fierro: School of Communication, Diego Portales University, Santiago 8370109, Chile
Camila Corvalán: Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago 7830489, Chile
Marcela Reyes: Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago 7830489, Chile
Teresa Correa: School of Communication, Diego Portales University, Santiago 8370109, Chile

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: The global implementation of structural policies to tackle obesity has been slow, likely because of the competing interests of governments and the food industry. We used the discussion of the Chilean Food Labeling Law to identify influential stakeholders in the media and their frames during different periods of the law’s implementation. This involved a content analysis of the food regulation media coverage in five key periods from 2007, when the food bill was first introduced in Congress, to 2018, when the second phase of the law was implemented (N = 1295). We found that most of the law coverage was through elite press. Half of the sources were from the food industry (26.7%) and government (26.2%), while other stakeholders, were less prevalent. Frames were mostly competing, except for cooperation with the law. The main food industry frame used during the discussion of the law was the “economic threat” (41.9%), whose prevalence decreased at the post-implementation period (13%, p < 0.01). No other relevant stakeholders changed their framing. Our results highlight that there are several aspects of public health communication, such as the type of media used, the involvement of scholars and civil society, and the framing, that could be improved to advance food environment policies.

Keywords: obesity prevention; food environment regulation; framing; food industry; Chile Labelling Law (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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