Corporate Lobbying: The Dark Side of the Plate

The extent to which corporate lobbying and conflicts of interest are negatively impacting food policy and our diets is a growing matter of concern.

UK dietary health is at a crisis point and the cost of our poor diets is ravaging the NHS, hampering economic growth, and ultimately impacting the long-term sustainability of food businesses.

Yet it needn’t be this way. Lobbying is an essential part of an open and consultative policymaking process which, if done transparently, can empower corporations, organisations and citizens to participate in the democratic process.

This briefing presents initial findings from research conducted by The Food Foundation and others that has begun to explore the extent of food industry lobbying in the UK.