scholarly journals Agreements Between Public Health Organizations and Food and Beverage Companies: Approaches to Improving Evaluation

Author(s):  
Jean L. Wiecha ◽  
Mary K. Muth

Efforts in the United States and abroad to address the chronic disease epidemic have led to the emergence of voluntary industry agreements as a substitute for regulatory approaches to improve the healthfulness of foods and beverages. Because of the lack of access to data and limited budgets, evaluations of these agreements have often been limited to process evaluation with less focus on outcomes and impact. Increasing scientific scope and rigor in evaluating voluntary food and beverage industry agreements would improve potential public health benefits and understanding of the effects of these agreements. We describe how evaluators can provide formative, process, and outcome assessment and discuss challenges and opportunities for impact assessment. We explain how logic models, industry profiles, quasi-experimental designs, mixed-methods approaches, and third-party data can improve the effectiveness of agreement design and evaluation. These methods could result in more comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of voluntary industry agreements, thus providing data to bolster the public health impacts of future agreements. However, improved access to data and larger evaluation budgets will be needed to support improvements in evaluation.

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M McKe

Abstract Martin McKee will question whether the private sector can be trusted to act as partners in addressing global health issues such as the NCD pandemic, and present evidence that suggests health actors should proceed with caution when considering the industry as potential bedfellows. He will argue that the known actions of many commercial organisations impose an obligation on those seeking to engage with public health bodies to demonstrate absolute transparency, while the public health bodies have an obligation to understand the ways in which commercial organisations seek to shape the dominant narrative and capture regulatory processes.


Author(s):  
Anusha Thakur

Green supply chain management (GSCM) is defined as the delivery of various products and services from the different manufacturers, suppliers, and end customers through the information flow in terms of environment. Moreover, unlike the conventional supply chain processes, green supply chain process is engaged in the implementation of various environment friendly ideas as well as strategies in it. GSCM includes different ways to amend the negative environmental impacts along with the improvement in efficiency, increased profitability and costs. In today's scenario, the consumers are shifting their preferences from unsustainable products to sustainable food products, thereby opting green for the same. This chapter emphasizes the necessities of the green supply chain processes as well as the strategies adopted by the firms, particularly in India in the food and beverage industry. The chapter focuses on the trends, impacts, challenges, and opportunities of GSCM.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (16) ◽  
pp. 3045-3055
Author(s):  
Rachel JL Prowse ◽  
Sarah A Richmond ◽  
Sarah Carsley ◽  
Heather Manson ◽  
Brent Moloughney

AbstractObjective:To assess public health nutrition practice within the public health system in Ontario, Canada to identify provincial-wide needs for scientific and technical support.Design:A qualitative descriptive study was conducted to identify activities, strengths, challenges and opportunities in public health nutrition practice using semi-structured key informant interviews (n 21) and focus groups (n 10). Recorded notes were analysed concurrently with data generation using content analysis. System needs were prioritised through a survey.Setting:Public health units.Participants:Eighty-nine practitioners, managers, directors, medical officers of health, researchers and other stakeholders were purposively recruited through snowball and extreme case sampling.Results:Five themes were generated: (i) current public health nutrition practice was broad, complex, in transition and collaborative; (ii) data/evidence/research relevant to public health needs were insufficiently available and accessible; (iii) the amount and specificity of guidance/leadership was perceived to be mismatched with strong evidence that diet is a risk factor for poor health; (iv) resources/capacity were varied but insufficient and (v) understanding of nutrition expertise in public health among colleagues, leadership and other organisations can be improved. Top ranked needs were increased understanding, visibility and prioritisation of healthy eating and food environments; improved access to data and evidence; improved collaboration and coordination; and increased alignment of activities and goals.Conclusions:Collective capacity in the public health nutrition can be improved through strategic system-wide capacity-building interventions. Research is needed to explore how improvements in data, evidence and local contexts can bridge research and practice to effectively and efficiently improve population diets and health.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 509-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita George

AbstractAs a growing number of countries implement, or announce plans to introduce, a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax, this paper explores the public health rationale for such a tax and provides an overview of the international normative and policy instruments supporting the introduction of fiscal measures on sugary drinks. After examining parallels between the legal arguments raised by the food and beverage industry in opposition to SSB taxes and those raised by the tobacco industry in response to tobacco control measures, this paper draws four key lessons that will assist countries to design effective and robust SSB tax measures and counter food and beverage industry opposition: regulatory distinctions in tax coverage should be based on bona fide, evidence-based reasoning; evidence-based measures need to be tailored to a country’s public health objectives as part of a comprehensive strategy to address unhealthy diet consumption; procedural requirements and due process should be observed in the drafting and implementation of the measure; and regulatory space exists within domestic constitutions, laws and international trade and investment agreements recognising the sovereign right of states to regulate in the interests of public health.


2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e10
Author(s):  
Eric Crosbie ◽  
Jennifer L. Pomeranz ◽  
Kathrine E. Wright ◽  
Samantha Hoeper ◽  
Laura Schmidt

We sought to examine the strategies promoting and countering state preemption of local sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes in the United States. Using Crosbie and Schmidt’s tobacco preemption framework, we analyzed key tactics used by the SSB industry to achieve state preemption of local taxes identified in news sources, industry Web sites, government reports, and public documents. Starting in 2017, 4 states rejected and 4 passed laws preempting local SSB taxes. The beverage industry attempted to secure state preemption through front groups and trade associations, lobbying key policymakers, inserting preemptive language into other legislation, and issuing legal threats and challenges. The public health community’s response is in the early stages of engaging in media advocacy, educating policymakers, mobilizing national collaboration, and expanding legal networks. State preemption of local SSB taxes is in the early stages but will likely scale up as local tax proposals increase. The public health community has a substantial role in proactively working to prevent preemption concurrent with health policy activity and using additional strategies successfully used in tobacco control to stop preemption diffusion. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print February 18, 2021: e1–e10. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306062 )


1992 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Wallack ◽  
Lori Dorfman

Background and Purpose. Television is an important source of health information in the United States, yet little research has focused on the presentation of general health issues on television. This preliminary study reports on the health-related content of television commercials found on a typical television day. Methods. We conducted a content analysis of a composite day of television comprising 20 hours randomly selected over a three week period (April-May 1989). Findings are presented regarding health messages found in commercial time — advertisements, public service announcements (PSAs), editorials, and promotions for upcoming programs. Results. Overall, 31 % of the 654 commercial spots contained health messages. Most health messages were claims of good nutrition in food and beverage advertisements. PSAs comprise 1.4% of the 20-hour sample and 5.8% of the commercial time. Health messages appeared in 38% of PSAs, accounting for less than seven minutes. Not one PSA addressed tobacco, alcohol, or diet — the three leading behavioral risk factors for poor health. Discussion. PSAs are usually seen as a mechanism by which the public health community can alert the public to important health issues. Given the declining pool of PSA time, public health educators will need to seek alternative strategies for influencing television content, such as media advocacy. In addition, further research on audience interpretation and response to commercial messages is suggested.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 190
Author(s):  
Ounane Boumediene ◽  
Yahiaoui Nour El Houda

The aim of this study is to highlight the most important issues of social responsibility for companies in the Algerian beverage sector. In Algeria, despite growing concerns of consumers and health advocates in effects associated with high levels of consumption of beverages on public health, along with other issues such as; the quality of drinks, percentage of sugar, ingredients, packaging. Studies dealing with social responsibility in this sector are rather scarce. Our results show that applying CSR principles stills not very common in this field and too much efforts are needed in order to legitimize the activity of the enterprises, likewise an increasing acceptance of social responsibility principles so that to establish the rules of ethical practices in the future. Finally, some urgent measures, such as installing a good information system as well as a set of laws and standards that regulates CSR, and reducing the effect of the informal sector should be undertaken by the Algerian government.


Author(s):  
Yan Rigid Wijaya ◽  
Radius Tanone

The Salatiga City Government through the Health Office organizes a system of services and socialization to the community in a preventive manner. The intended community includes P-IRT (Food and Home Industry) which constitutes the food and beverage industry sector which is included in the small industry. In carrying out the delivery of information, employees must carry out a program of training activities as well as by conducting socialization to the community directly, where it is more time consuming, costly, and energy. This also makes the service and delivery of information less efficient. Therefore a web-based and mobile-based information system design is needed to complement these shortcomings. By using the Laravel Framework and Android Programming as well as a collaborative filter algorithm, a web-based application and an Android phone are generated to address the problem. Sharing information and discussions between the public and related agencies is easier to use this system.    


2021 ◽  
pp. 109821402097978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean L. Wiecha ◽  
Mary K. Muth

Most Americans consume diets at odds with nutrition recommendations, contributing to our ongoing epidemics of noncommunicable diseases. One strategy for accelerating progress toward healthier diets involves formal agreements between companies and nongovernmental organizations to develop new products, reformulate existing products, and implement new marketing strategies. Although the general intention for industry agreements is to generate public health benefits, their goals and activities may not align with this intention. Based on a literature review and technical assistance we provided to organizations engaged in industry agreements, we believe that increasing scientific scope and rigor in evaluations of voluntary food and beverage industry agreements could improve potential public health benefits and understanding of their actual effects. We provide recommendations for external, unconflicted funding that permits comprehensive, independent, and rigorous evaluation of voluntary industry agreements.


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Joop Vree-van Straten ◽  
Annet J. C. Roodenburg

<p>This article focuses on the opportunities and challenges Dutch Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the food and beverage industry are facing with respect to innovation in food and health. An online questionnaire was developed to give an overview on attitudes and activities of SMEs with respect to innovation; their interest in trends, among which were health and wellbeing; and their view on logos as a possible way of communication. The questionnaire was held May 2011 with a response of n = 110. Results show that innovation is important for SMEs: over 80% of the SMEs are innovating in products and over 60% in processes. The most appealing trends are: Health and wellbeing, ‘Puur en Eerlijk’ (Note 1) and sustainability. Of the SMEs 70-80% indicate to have a current, and 85% a future interest in these trends. Furthermore 43% used the health logo on part of their product portfolio. Logos that communicate health and sustainability are most popular; 23% of the SMEs indicated not to be interested in the use of logos in general. In conclusion, the identified opportunities for innovation in food and health are: a large willingness to innovate and the increasing interest in the already appealing trend of nutrition and health. There is a moderate interest in (health) logos. Challenges are time, costs, knowledge on innovation in general and lack of specific knowledge on nutrition and health, and unclarities around use and added value (informative and increasing sales) of logos. Also, taste is considered as important as health and cannot be compromised.</p>


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