ROLE OF MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS IN GLOBAL FOOD CHAINS, CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY AND REGULATION OF ULTRA-PROCESSED FOOD INDUSTRIES
Subjects/Theme:
corporate power, food governance, global food chains, multinational corporations, corporate accountability, ultra-processed foods, legal liability, public health regulation, food marketing, responsible business conductDescription
Globalization, Food Systems, and Legal Responses:Governance, Justice, and Sustainability in a Changing World
Edited By: Dr. Joydeb Patra, Ms. Saptaparni Raha
E-ISBN: 978-81-685212-2-3
Corporate power and food governance is framed by the global power of dominant multinational corporations that control global food production networks‚ brand management systems‚ retail and distribution systems‚ marketing systems‚ food technologies‚ and agrochemical and machinery systems․ This section explores multinational corporations in the global food supply chain and the corporate accountability and regulation of ultra-processed food industries․ Rather than understanding food governance as determined either by agricultural production or consumer choice‚ one must also consider the political and economic power of firms in shaping food that is produced‚ how it is marketed‚ how risks are communicated to consumers‚ and how governments respond to public health and sustainability challenges․ Ultra-processed foods provide an interesting test case because they are industrially formulated‚ heavily branded‚ easily transportable and subject to advanced marketing․ The growth of these industries raises public health‚ child protection‚ diet-related disease‚ regulatory capture‚ accountability in the food supply chain‚ trade policy and the right to adequate food․ Descriptive-analytical and documentary methods were used for the paper‚ by synthesising academic literature‚ international policy instruments‚ business and human rights principles‚ reports on food governance‚ and public health literature․ Though there was no a priori survey‚ we organised evidence by corporate concentration‚ global value chains‚ accountability gaps‚ marketing tactics‚ legal accountability and regulatory instruments․ The evidence suggests that voluntary business conduct is unlikely to substitute for state governance action to counter powerful commercial drivers incentivizing industry to create and promote unhealthy food environments․ Stronger governance is required to support transparent disclosure‚ due diligence obligations through value chains‚ limitations on harmful marketing‚ independent monitoring‚ effective conflict of interest protections‚ public procurement standards‚ and redress․ The paper concludes by recommending a balance between legitimate business activity‚ public health‚ environmental sustainability and social justice in food governance․
