| Statement 1.3 –Researchers should not accept funds from the food industry |
| Researchers (43% agreement) |
Stakeholders (70% agreement) |
If appropriately managed and controlled to ensure no conflict of interest; it can be an important source of funding (Researcher 83: behavioural change interventions + develops methodologies for assessing/monitoring diet, South Africa) Depends on which is the company that is funding. if its products are against people’s health; I wouldn’t accept it (i.e. Coca cola). (Researcher 51: nutritional epidemiology, Guatemala) |
This is a broad statement and it depends on the type of food industry actor in question. If the industry actor is involved in producing unhealthy foods which are high in fat; salt and/or sugar then they should not fund research which could influence public health policy. (Policy influencer 13, UK) Considering the food industry as all actors of the food system; there may be some types of study that could receive funds; but with transparency. (Policy officer 30, Brazil) I think it depends on what company it is and what they are funding. I would object to companies that produce foods that are energy dense and nutrient poor. I would also object if there is a clear conflict of interest with what they are funding. However; not all companies produce these foods which is why I neither agree nor disagree. (Journalist 23, Australia) |
| Statement 1.4 –Researchers should not accept funds from processed food companies |
| Researchers (55% agreement) |
Stakeholders (80% agreement) |
This becomes rather hard to define, as unhealthy and processed are not synonymous. (Researcher 81: monitoring food environments and diet, behavioural change interventions, South Africa) There is a whole range of processed food. One would need to be more specific as to what is not acceptable re ‘processed’. (Researcher 66: food/nutrition policy interventions + understanding food systems, Malta) The big food MNCs [multi-national corporations] produce commodities which kill; & deserve to be treated like tobacco MNCs. (Researcher 114: food/nutrition policy, nutritional epidemiology, UK) |
This might be ideal; but not practical at present; so a ban is not reasonable. Disclosure is critical. (Policy influencer 56, USA) It depends on the kind of research. If it is on a product that the food industry has an interest in; they should not. (Policy Officer 52, Italy) I guess "processed" is meant to mean unhealthy—although that isn’t always the case. A lot depends on the context; but it’s rarely a good idea. (Funder 12, UK) |
