Concentration of power among transnational ‘Big Food’ companies has contributed to food systems that are unsustainable, unhealthy and inequitable for people and planet.

A new paper in BMJ Global Health co-authored by IMMANA with colleagues at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the International Food Policy Research Institute, explores the concepts of trust and responsibility where food systems transformation is concerned. It looks at the role of 'Big Food' transnational companies in the commercial determinants of health and asks critical questions about how public researchers and policymakers should or should not engage with such powerful entities to address food system problems at scale.

By presenting two short case studies on the role of Big Food; one looking at the United Nations Food Systems Summit and the other at the problem of plastic pollution, the paper asks: Is it logical to expect meaningful trust between these stakeholders until companies are able to demonstrate responsibility? 

The paper is open access and free to read here:

Trust and responsibility in food systems transformation. Engaging with Big Food: marriage or mirage?