The Strategic Response of the Food Industry to the Public Health Responsibility Deal, in the Context of Power

This thesis examines the strategic response of the food industry to the UK Public Health Responsibility Deal(1), in the context of power. The Responsibility Deal, launched in 2011, was the flagship public health nutrition policy for the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government of the UK. It was a voluntary policy intervention with public health objectives. A qualitative approach has been adopted to explore the exercise of corporate power within and beyond the food industry to influence the development of the Responsibility Deal. This doctoral study is comprised of three phases. Firstly, an analysis of submissions to the Competition Commission Inquiry (2006) into the retailing of groceries in the UK(2), focused on understanding the exercise of power within the food industry; secondly, an analysis of news media and trade press exploring how food industry organisations influenced the development of the Responsibility Deal; and thirdly, an analysis of the implementation of the Responsibility Deal using four case studies of food industry organisations. Findings show that the most powerful organisations in the UK food industry are the multiple food retailers and the suppliers of leading branded food products. These organisations exerted power over organisations in their supply chains and their competitors. They also exerted power beyond the food industry, influencing the development of Government public health nutrition policy. As a result, the Public Health Responsibility Deal had limited additionality, with organisations able to continue business as usual. Despite changes in the public health nutrition policy environment since the launch of the Responsibility Deal in 2011, the issue of corporate food industry power in determining nutrition policy remains highly relevant. In addition, these issues are likely to be relevant to other industries, as there are clear commonalities across the alcohol, food, tobacco, and gambling industry strategies to influence the development of government public health policy(3).