ABSTRACT
Unhealthy diets are a leading risk factor for obesity and non-communicable disease. Food choices are made within the context of people's social circumstances as well as the broader food environment, which is shaped extensively by food and beverage industry practices, which include market, financial and political activities undertaken to increase the sale and consumption of highly processed food and beverages. To reduce the burden of unhealthy diets, there is a clear need for government-led action to disrupt the balance of power that currently favours commercial interests over public health.
Subject(s)
Beverages , Commerce , Diet , Fast Foods , Food Industry , Food Preferences , HumansABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The roles of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in regulating harmful commodity industries (HCIs) are understudied. The aim of this paper is to identify the NGOs and the roles that they play in the governance of the ultra-processed food and alcohol industries in Australia. METHODS: We undertook an exploratory descriptive analysis of NGOs identified from an online search based on the typology we developed of type, issue area and governance function. RESULTS: A total of 134 relevant Australian NGOs were identified: 38 work on food issues, 61 with alcohol issues and 35 are active in both. In the food domain, 90% of NGOs engage in agenda setting, 88% in capacity building, 15% in implementation and 12% in monitoring. In the alcohol domain, 92% of NGOs are active in agenda setting, 72% in capacity building, 35% in implementation and 8% in monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: Australian NGOs are active actors in the food and alcohol governance system. IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: There are many opportunities for NGOs to regulate HCI practices, building on their relative strengths in agenda setting and capacity building, and expanding their activities in monitoring and implementation. A more detailed examination is needed of strategies that can be used by NGOs to be effective regulators in the governance system.