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Corporations and Health Watch provides activists, researchers, health professionals, policy makers and others with information and resources so they can act to change corporate practices that harm health.

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The health impact of retail practices: towards a research agenda

Every day, owners and managers of hundreds of thousands of retail establishments across the United States make decisions that influence the health of the American people. Their decisions shape the choices consumers face in the market and make it easier or harder for people to buy tobacco, alcohol, food and beverages, medicines, firearms, automobiles or many other products associated with current patterns of health and disease. In this review, Corporations and Health Watch provides an overview of the impact of retail practices on health and suggests directions for future research that can guide policies to encourage health-promoting and discourage health-harming retail practices.
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Click here for a Selected Bibliography on Retail Practices and Health by Industry

 

Cash for Clunkers: who benefits?

The Car Allowance Rebate System, better known as “Cash for Clunkers,” is a federal program that gave car buyers a rebate of up to $ 4,500 on a new car if they trade in an older, less fuel efficient car. The program is meant to stimulate the ailing U.S. economy and reduce pollution caused by cars by committing U.S. tax dollars to the foundering auto industry. Late last month, the federal government ended the Cash for Clunkers program two weeks early because the three billion dollars budgeted for the program had been nearly exhausted. Although hundreds of thousands of Americans took advantage of the rebate opportunity to purchase a new car, and nearly the entire budget was spent, it isn't clear that Americans (and America) will emerge both economically and environmentally healthier. In this profile, Corporations and Health Watch examines the impact of the Cash for Clunkers program on our nation's health and the environment.
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New York City considers point-of-sale warning signs for tobacco products in convenience stores

In June 2009 Congress approved and President Obama signed legislation giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products. The FDA will also be allowed to restrict tobacco marketing to youth and require larger warnings on packages. The federal law also preserves state and local authority to adopt other tobacco control measures that they deem appropriate. So far, it appears that New York City is the first local jurisdiction in the United States to consider mandating point-of-sale warning signs since the passage of the federal legislation.
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Dangerous levels of salt in chain restaurant meals prompts action by public health departments and a lawsuit against Denny's Corporation

Food manufacturers and chain restaurants continue to increase the amount of sodium in their foods to dangerously high levels. Growing concern about the salt in processed and restaurant foods and the lack of industry concern over the health of the American people has led advocates to consider new ways to encourage the food industry to lower the salt in processed food. In this report, Corporations and Health Watch describes two distinct efforts: a national initiative started by the New York City Department of Health in April 2009 and a class action lawsuit filed in July 2009 against Denny's by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), an organization with a long history of advocating for stronger policies involving salt content in processed foods. We also describe the recent voluntary action taken by Campbell Soup Co. in July 2009 to lower the sodium content of one of its best-selling products, tomato soup, so that it meets recommended guidelines.
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Healthy Skepticism: Countering misleading drug promotion advertising and promoting healthy skepticism about pharmaceutical marketing practices

Healthy Skepticism is an international non-profit organization with headquarters in Adelaide, Australia. Its website www.healthyskepticism.org offers a collection of journal articles focusing mainly on the problems that arise when pharmaceutical companies advertise directly to physicians and publishes a monthly newsletter for its member subscribers.
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