Corporate influence on food and nutrition policies in Latin America and the Caribbean: key determinants and policy directions

Villalobos-Pérez et al. Globalization and Health https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-026-01198-9 (2026) 22:41 Globalization and Health Open Access RESEARCH Corporate influence on food and nutrition policies in Latin America and the Caribbean: key determinants and policy directions Ariadna Villalobos-Pérez1,2, Vania Lara-Mejía1,2, Florence L. Théodore2* and Lizbeth Tolentino-Mayo1,2 Abstract Background In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), diets are increasingly dominated by ultra-processed products (UPPs). Although public health policies aimed at reducing UPPs consumption show promise, these are often undermined by corporate influence. Understanding how countries respond to this influence is essential for strengthening food policy development in LAC. Objective Examine how different sectors (government, academia, and civil society organizations) respond to corporate influence throughout the public policy cycle and analyze the key determinants that enable or constrain industry power across six analytical environments in five LAC countries, with the aim of informing actionable policy directions. Methods The study follows two sequential and complementary components: (1) policy mapping conducted to assess the progress of six health, food, and nutrition policies within the policy cycle in LAC countries, and (2) a qualitative component consisting of in-depth interviews with key informants from Guatemala, Paraguay, Argentina, Jamaica and Barbados; conducted between May 2024 and May 2025. Data analysis followed a constant comparative approach to identify cross-cutting patterns and context-specific insights. Results Policy progress varies substantially across food policies and countries. For example, taxation on sugarsweetened beverages is generally advanced, while marketing restrictions on unhealthy products remain at earlier stages. Regarding the qualitative component, fifteen informants were interviewed; Argentina and academia were the most represented. Based on informants´ responses, corporate strategies and counterstrategies were identified and classified into six environments, each comprising determinants that either constrain corporate power or hinder efforts to address it. These encompassed: (1) political and governance processes; (2) legal and regulatory frameworks, as evidenced in Argentina and Jamaica; (3) narrative and communication strategies leveraging media; (4) knowledge production and dissemination characterized by misleading or suppressed information; (5) advocacy efforts, notably observed in Argentina and the Caribbean; and (6) a cross-cutting, cross-sectoral collaboration to present a unified response to corporate influence. *Correspondence: Florence L. Théodore Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2026. 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To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creati vecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Villalobos-Pérez et al. Globalization and Health (2026) 22:41 Page 2 of 19 Conclusion Findings indicate that the UPPs industry operates across multiple environments and is shaped by country-specific contexts. Nevertheless, promising responses include transparency and conflict-of-interest mechanisms, strengthened civil society advocacy, and cross-sectoral collaboration to counter corporate influence. These strategies require adaptation to national and local conditions. Clinical trial number Not applicable. Keywords Latin America and the Caribbean, Food policy, Corporate influence, Food industry strategies, Noncommunicable diseases Background In Latin America and The Caribbean (LAC), as well as globally, diets are increasingly dominated by ultra-processed products (UPPs), a trend with significant implications on food public policy [1, 2]. The UPPs are branded, commercial formulations made from cheap ingredients, with little or no whole food, designed to compete with natural food, their preparation as dishes and meals, and to maximize corporate profits [3]. The LAC region currently ranks as the fifth-largest market worldwide for solid UPPs (e.g. ready-to-eat meals) and the third largest for liquid UPPs (e.g. sweetened beverages) [4]. This growing consumption plays a crucial role in the ongoing ‘nutrition transition’, characterized by a shift from traditional diets to dietary patterns associated with obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) [5, 6]. Although the rise in NCDs is a multifactorial phenomenon, structural changes in food systems—especially the availability, affordability, and aggressive marketing of UPPs—have emerged as key drivers [7, 8]. These changes have been sustained, among other factors, by the significant influence of the food industry on food systems. In response to this panorama, a growing body of evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of public health, food, and nutrition policies aimed at reducing the consumption of UPPs. These measures include taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) [9], mandatory frontof-package nutrition labeling (FOPNL) [10], marketing restrictions —particularly targeting children and adolescents— [11] and regulations promoting healthier food environments in schools [12]. However, corporate influence in shaping food policy is a major barrier to advancing effective measures [12]. This corporate influence broadly refers to the capacity of corporations to shape societal norms, research agendas, market conditions, and policy environments to serve their interests, often resulting in interference, such as delaying, weakening, or obstructing public health policymaking [13, 14]. Within this broader construct, corporate political activity (CPA) —a concept originated in tobacco control and business literature— [15] encompasses strategies through which companies shape public policy and opinion to protect their interests [16]. The food industry employs CPA strategies to defend its products, safeguard its profits and influence policy decisions directly or indirectly [17]. While often considered acceptable in a business framework centered on sh (...truncated)