Strategies (and examples) commonly employed by unhealthy commodity industries (UCIs) to promote their interests within public health policies
| UCIs | Ultra-processed food and drink products | Alcohol | Gambling | Tobacco |
| Strategies | ||||
| Shaping the evidence | ||||
| Lobbying for example, via front groups | The Center for Consumer Freedom126 (CCF) International Life Sciences Institute127 | The CCF126 Competitive Enterprise Institute128 Alcohol industry directly lobbying government about minimum unit pricing (MUP)129 | Competitive Enterprise Institute130 Gambling industry funds Republican campaigns131 | The CCF126 Big Tobacco funds Republican campaigns131 |
| Shaping research and funding priorities | Diet and Health Research Industry Club (DRINC)89 The International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment and Coca-Cola132 | International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD)133 | Industry sponsors’ annual National Association for Gambling Studies Conference in Australia. Gambling industry part of consultative process to decide on Australian government funding priorities for gambling research134 | Centre for Substance Use Research in Scotland135 136 |
| Financing university programmes and chairs | Unilever Graduate Scholarship in the Sciences, St Cross College, University of Oxford137 | Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (ie, Diageo, Bacardi, etc) sponsors a $3.3 million endowed chair at Harvard Medical School’s Cambridge Health Alliance92 | University of Nevada International Gaming Institute, includes research on ‘responsible’ gambling138 | RJ Reynolds Chair of Medicine at Duke University91 |
| Employing narratives and framing techniques | ||||
| Focusing on youth, often directly in schools | Coca-Cola’s The Real Experience ‘flagship education programme for secondary schools, colleges and universities in Great Britain’139 | ‘Smashed’—educational plays in schools funded by Diageo140 Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAPs)141 | GamCare’s ‘Big Deal’ website (eg, ‘Are you feeling lucky?’)142 | Philip Morris (PM) International Youth Smoking Prevention143 British American Tobacco’s (BAT) cooperation with night clubs144 |
| Focus on the individual for example, ‘problem’ behaviours, individual responsibility, personal choice and ‘nanny state’ rhetoric | Consumer choice145 ‘Tackling obesity: choice and information’146 | ‘Is your drinking a problem?’ (Drinkaware)147 | ‘Problem’ gambling33 Institute of Public Affairs’ (IPA) 10 worst nanny state policies: increasing gaming rates148 | IPA’s 10 worst nanny state policies: plain packet cigarettes148 Hands off our packs campaign149 |
| Being ‘part of the solution’ | The Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust (lobby group financed by weight loss industry)150 | SpiritsEurope (industry group) ‘Reducing alcohol related harm in Europe’151 | GamCare, Gambling Therapy and Gordon Moody Association, supported by industry-funded GambleAware | Tobacco industry funded youth smoking cessation programmes152 Foundation for a Smokefree World153 |
| Focus on ‘sustainability’ and strategic use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) | Coca-Cola Company’s commitment to sustainability154 | Diageo’s commitment to sustainability155 ABInBev, Stella’s buy a lady a drink programme.156 | Strategic use of CSR by gambling industry for example, the Senet Group, a voluntary watchdog set up by the industry to ‘promote responsible gambling standards’ and the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG)157 | PM International’s commitment to sustainability158 BAT Sustainable Tobacco Programme159 |
| Constituency building | ||||
| Promoting or sponsoring efforts beyond their core business | The Coca-Cola Cycling Club160 McDonald’s sponsorship of the 2012 Olympics | National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) (supported by Diageo)161 Large spend on legal challenges to Scottish MUP legislation | In the 2019–2020 season, gambling companies sponsor the shirts of 10 out of 20 teams in the Premier League and 17 out of 24 teams in the Championship.162 | PM contributes to alleviating hunger and extreme poverty163 Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco Growing Foundation164– BAT, PM, Imperial and other tobacco companies are members RJ Reynolds’ sponsorship of Nascar Winston Cup Series and Vantage Gold Championship165 |
| Financial and non-financial partnerships with charities or health-related/education-related foundations | UNICEF and McDonald’s (Ronald McDonald Foundation)166 Britvic and Diabetes UK167 | Addaction has undertaken alcohol misuse projects funded by Heineken168 | GamCare,142 GambleAware Young Gamblers’ Education Trust169 | PM China partnership with the China Youth Development Foundation to build schools170 |
| Policy substitution, development and implementation | ||||
| Partnerships or voluntary agreements with government | More industry-led voluntary pledges than government regulations worldwide on food advertising to children171 Public Health Responsibility Deal (RD)172 | RD173–175 CAPs141 | IGRG voluntary codes on advertising.176 Voluntary levy paid by bookmakers to GambleAware, the charity which funds education, prevention and treatment services and commissions research. | Voluntary agreement on sponsorship on sport by tobacco industry177 |
| Contributing to health policy consultations and participating in drafting relevant policies | Sugar industry contributes to European Food Safety Authority nutrition guidelines (suggests no link between sugar and obesity)178 | IARD and SABMiller influence on several African countries’ alcohol policies179 180 | Levy Board, government-appointed bodies from horseracing and betting, collect funds from bookmakers, use to improve horseracing, and veterinary science and education181 | Action on Smoking and Health’s ‘The smoke-filled room: How big tobacco influences health policy in the UK’182 |
Source: table design adapted from Savell et al,39 ,38 Ulucanlar et al,43 Mialon et al,40 Scott et al,45 Capewell and Lloyd-Williams46 and McCambridge et al.97