Why we should all be aware of the ‘Hunger Industrial Complex’

How hunger is becoming big business

As increasing numbers of people rely on food banks, these lifelines are being captured by Big Food to increase profits, improve reputation, and slow down meaningful changes to policy.

The food industry is a beast: it’s incredibly wealthy. And just a handful of companies control a huge slice of the market pie. With great wealth comes great power, and they wield this in a variety of ways.

For instance, food giants use lobbies to ensure governments don’t produce legislation that might hurt their profits.

They also fund research that will help boost sales of their products. To be clear, not all research funded by businesses is dodgy by any stretch. But nefarious actors with money to burn can skew the scientific literature in favour of their wares. Or, at the very least, give their unhealthy produce a thin veneer of healthiness.

Today, I want to talk about a less well-known route used by food giants to influence society and health while making more money.

Photo by Fabian Blank on Unsplash

‘Backdoor tactics’

Some food manufacturers attempt to build support for their brand by funding community groups that focus on alleviating social problems. On the surface, these sound like positive, philanthropic donations.