Legislation urged to stop multinationals using tobacco-style tactics to push junk food

Brigid O’Connell
February 14, 2013
Herald Sun

MULTINATIONAL companies use the same tactics as the tobacco industry to undermine public health, prompting calls for anti-tobacco-style regulation to be introduced for junk food.

An international study led by University of Melbourne Professor Rob Moodie – a former VicHealth chief – has found global food and drink brands are the major drivers of lifestyle-related diabetes, cancers and heart disease by saturating Australia’s $100 billion food industry with energy-rich, nutrient-dense foods.

“For many years we tried to work with the tobacco industry, but that led us nowhere,” Prof Moodie said.

“Biasing research findings, donating to political parties, creating facades of quasi-independent research institutes that end up supporting their own findings – all the things the tobacco industry did, the alcohol, food and drink industry is doing now.”

In the study published in the Lancet, Prof Moodie said the Federal Government should consider similar regulations to tobacco such as taxing products, regulating access and an advertising crackdown.

“Industries are saying we’re part of the solution. Certainly our review of the evidence shows they’re a major part of the problem,” he said.

The study shows “ultra-processed” products high in fat, sugar and salt are saturating markets in low and middle-income countries, and companies are staging aggressive marketing.

George Institute for Global Health professor of medicine Dr Bruce Neal said a five-year program between the Federal Government and industry to reduce salt in food actually led to salt consumption increasing.