New Platform Monitors Food Industry Interference in Latin America

El Poder del Consumidor and the Latin American and Caribbean Community on Nutrition and Health (COLANSA) launched VIA, a collaborative platform aimed at exposing, monitoring and reporting improper practices and interference by the food industry across Latin America and the Caribbean. The platform is open for use by civil society, academia, students, activists and media.

VIA was created to increase transparency and accountability regarding the influence of the food industry on public policy, scientific research, communication, and other areas that affect the right to healthy food. The platform compiles documentation, analysis, and reports to strengthen citizen oversight and fight against strategies to protect commercial interests, often at the expense of public health, the environment, democracy and human rights, a practice known as corporate political activity.

Christian Torres, Coordinator of Conflict of Interest and Industry Interference, El Poder del Consumidor, explained that VIA responds to the growing power of the food industry in shaping public policy, funding research, violating human rights, and influencing scientific and media discourse. “VIA not only documents and reports specific cases of interference but provides a structured, systemic view of how these strategies operate in Latin America and the Caribbean,” he said.

Ana Larrañaga, Food Health Researcher, El Poder del Consumidor, shared the platform’s first results, which include 100 documented cases showing common patterns of malpractice. These cases were classified using the Strategic Political Activity Framework, a methodology that categorizes how the industry negatively affects food policies. The most common interference strategies included using legal frameworks to block policies through lobbying, revolving doors and state capture. Larrañaga noted recurring arguments from the industry claiming that food policies could harm company profits, lead to job losses, or violate international agreements.

VIA also highlighted interference in key food policy areas, including front-of-package labeling, health taxes, advertising and school environment regulations, and programs targeting sodium reduction and malnutrition prevention.

The platform identified 166 commercial entities in Latin America and the Caribbean employing interference strategies. These include trade associations, transnational corporations, food industry companies, national corporations, food and beverage companies, and front organizations.

Luana Lara, COLANSA Brazil, emphasized the importance of collaboration between civil society organizations in the region. She noted that coalitions have helped mitigate corporate interference and encouraged organizations, activists and the public to use and contribute to VIA. “VIA offers a unique opportunity to reveal the scale of the problem, support advocacy efforts, and provide solid evidence for informed decision-making,” Lara said.

Diego Rodríguez, Director, Multidisciplinary Organization for Social Integration (OMIS) in Uruguay, highlighted the critical role of civil society in creating fairer and healthier food environments. He called on more people and institutions to participate in the collaborative, open-access platform, designed to allow citizens, researchers, journalists and activists to monitor and defend the right to healthy food free from corporate influence.