Table 1 Strategies used by food industry stakeholders in their political activities, as defined by Mialon et al. [16]
From: Strategies used by the Canadian food and beverage industry to influence food and nutrition policies
Strategies | Description |
|---|---|
Constituency building | Activities whose goals are to gain favor among the public and other important stakeholders like the media and public health community (e.g. getting involved in the community, establishing relationships with health organizations) |
Financial incentive | The use of financial incentives to influence decision-makers (e.g. providing funds or giving gifts to politicians) |
Information and messaging | Dissemination and framing of information in manners that favor the food industry’s activities and interests (e.g. shaping the evidence base by disseminating non-peer reviewed research, shifting blame away from industry, stressing their economic importance) |
Legal | Use of legal means to oppose or influence policies (e.g. threaten legal action against critics or public policies) |
Opposition, destabilisation and fragmentation | Destabilisation of groups or individuals whose opposition to the food industry’s products or practices may undermine their interests (e.g. criticize community organizations and advocates) |
Policy substitution | Proposing alternatives to regulatory action (e.g. industry self-regulation) |