Updated January 2008

Food Industry

Public Health Impact

Over the last 25 years, obesity rates have doubled among children and increased 1.5 times among adults in the United States. Common food industry practices, including the manufacture and promotion of high calorie, processed foods and beverages, are becoming widely acknowledged as a significant contributor to the obesity epidemic in the United States, as evidenced by a recent in-depth report focusing on marketing and childhood obesity by Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Food and Beverage manufacturers' efforts to negotiate exclusive sales contracts with public schools have come under particular scrutiny, especially because these contracts have a disparate impact on under-funded schools and communities which tend to be populated by African American and Latino and lower income students.

Health Consequences

According to Centers for Disease Control [CDC] reports, obesity has serious social and health effects. Approximately 20% of the population in forty-five of fifty states in the U.S suffer from obesity. Overweight and obese individuals are at increased risk for a variety of chronic health conditions, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon). Obese and overweight children are more likely to get pediatric diabetes, as well as being at increased risk for premature morbidity and mortality during adulthood. African Americans and Latinos, especially women, have higher rates of obesity than the national average which may be due, in part, to the decreased availability of supermarkets, fruit and vegetable stands, and natural food stores and the higher concentration of junk and processed foods available at bodegas (Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health).

Social & Economic Costs

Medical expenses accounted for 9.1 percent of total U.S. medical expenditures in 1998 and obesity-related direct and indirect economic costs exceed $100 billion annually (Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity). Medicaid and Medicare paid approximately half of these costs (CDC), underscoring the fact that the obesity epidemic disproportionately affects working class and poor communities. Additionally, stigma and "anti-fat" bias against overweight and obese individuals are significant contributors to the negative psychosocial consequences, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors eating disorders (Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity).

Resources

Top 3 Domestic Food Manufacturers

Kraft Foods (formally a subsidiary of Altria)
2006 Revenues: $34.4 billion
2008 Election cycle political contributions
      by Kraft Foods PAC: $34,500
2007 Lobbying expenditures by Kraft Foods: $1,220,000

ConAgra
2007 Revenues: $12.03 billion
2008 Election cycle political contributions
      by ConAgra Foods PAC: $113,000
2007 Lobbying expenditures: $100,000

General Mills
2006 Revenues: $12.4 billion
2008 Election cycle political contributions
      by General Mills PAC: $205,250
2007 Lobbying expenditures: $425,000

Industry Allies

American Meat Institute
American Sugar Alliance
Corn Refiners Association
Grocery Manufacturers Association
National Dairy Council
National Food Distributors Association
National Meat Association
National Soft Drink Association

Government Agencies Involved in Food and Nutrition

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

NATIONAL RESOURCES

Organizations and Campaigns Challenging Industry Practices

Appetite for Profit
Ban Trans Fats
Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood
The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods
Center for Commercial Free Public Education
Center for Food Safety
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Citizens' Campaign for Commercial Free Schools
Commercial Alert
Consumers Union
Co-op America
Corporate Accountability International
CorpWatch
Harvard Center for Society and Health
Interactive Food and Beverage Marketing
Krafted
Lunch Lessons
Multinational Monitor
Organic Consumers Union

Appetite for Change
Mad Cow USA
Millions Against Monsanto

Public Health Advocacy Institute
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity
Strategic Alliance (California)
Union of Concerned Scientists US Food Policy
WhatToEat A Blog by Marion Nestle

INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES

Organizations and Campaigns Challenging Industry Practices

Corporate Accountability International
Corporate Watch
Food and Water Watch
Global Dump Soft Drinks Campaign
Global Exchange
Health Care Without Harm
International Association of Consumer Food Organizations (IACFO)
Mclibel Campaign
Real Food
Sustain
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