Loading...
Globalization, first-foods systems transformations and corporate power: a synthesis of literature and data on the market and political practices of the transnational baby food industry.
Baker, Phillip Russ, Katheryn Kang, Manho Santos, Thiago M Neves, Paulo A R Smith, Julie Kingston, Gillian Mialon, Melissa Lawrence, Mark Wood, Benjamin
Baker, Phillip
Russ, Katheryn
Kang, Manho
Santos, Thiago M
Neves, Paulo A R
Smith, Julie
Kingston, Gillian
Mialon, Melissa
Lawrence, Mark
Wood, Benjamin
Advisors
Editors
Other Contributors
Departments
Date
2021-05-21
Date Submitted
Keywords
Baby food industry
BREASTFEEDING
Breastmilk substitutes
Commercial determinants of health
Corporate power
Corporate science
Food systems
infant formula
Lobbying
Milk formula
BREASTFEEDING
Breastmilk substitutes
Commercial determinants of health
Corporate power
Corporate science
Food systems
infant formula
Lobbying
Milk formula
Other Subjects
Subject Mesh
Planned Date
Start Date
Collaborators
Principal Investigators
Files
Loading...
s12992-021-00708-1.pdf
Adobe PDF, 5.49 MB
Alternative Titles
Publisher
Abstract
Background: The global milk formula market has 'boomed' in recent decades, raising serious concerns for breastfeeding, and child and maternal health. Despite these developments, few studies have investigated the global expansion of the baby food industry, nor the market and political practices corporations have used to grow and sustain their markets. In this paper, our aim is to understand the strategies used by the baby food industry to shape 'first-foods systems' across its diverse markets, and in doing so, drive milk formula consumption on a global scale. We used a theoretically guided synthesis review method, which integrated diverse qualitative and quantitative data sources.
Results: Global milk formula sales grew from ~US$1.5 billion in 1978 to US$55.6 billion in 2019. This remarkable expansion has occurred along two main historical axes. First, the widening geographical reach of the baby food industry and its marketing practices, both globally and within countries, as corporations have pursued new growth opportunities, especially in the Global South. Second, the broadening of product ranges beyond infant formula, to include an array of follow-up, toddler and specialized formulas for a wider range of age groups and conditions, thereby widening the scope of mother-child populations subject to commodification. Sophisticated marketing techniques have been used to grow and sustain milk formula consumption, including marketing through health systems, mass-media and digital advertising, and novel product innovations backed by corporate science. To enable and sustain this marketing, the industry has engaged in diverse political practices to foster favourable policy, regulatory and knowledge environments. This has included lobbying international and national policy-makers, generating and deploying favourable science, leveraging global trade rules and adopting corporate policies to counter regulatory action by governments.
Conclusion: The baby food industry uses integrated market and political strategies to shape first-foods systems in ways that drive and sustain milk formula market expansion, on a global scale. Such practices are a major impediment to global implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, and other policy actions to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. New modalities of public health action are needed to negate the political practices of the industry in particular, and ultimately to constrain corporate power over the mother-child breastfeeding dyad.
Language
en
Citation
ISSN
eISSN
1744-8603
ISBN
DOI
10.1186/s12992-021-00708-1
PMID
34020657