The influence of the sugar-sweetened beverage industry on public policies in Mexico

Enai Ojeda, Christian Torres, Ángela Carriedo, Mélissa Mialon, Niyati Parekh, Emanuel Orozco

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to map and describe the different corporate political activity (CPA) strategies used by the sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) industry to influence public health policymaking geared toward decreasing the consumption of SSB in Mexico. Methods: We applied an existing approach to identify and monitor the CPA of the SSB industry. A documentary analysis was conducted for two main actors in the SSB industry, for the period 2017–2019, and was triangulated with eleven semi-structured interviews with key informants in public health nutrition and from the SSB industry. The information was analyzed using an existing framework for categorizing the CPA. Results: Although data were found for six CPA strategies, the SSB industry mainly highlighted its economic importance and spoke openly against the 2014 SSB tax. We documented the industry’s relationships with governmental bodies and civil society actors to promote corporate social responsibility and gain public support. Conclusions: The SSB industry in Mexico uses a variety of strategies, directly or through third parties, to influence public policies related to the prevention and control of obesity and non-communicable diseases.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1037-1044
Number of pages8
JournalInternational Journal of Public Health
Volume65
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2020

Keywords

  • Corporate political activity
  • Health policy
  • Non-communicable diseases
  • Soft drink industry

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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