WHO accuses food, tobacco, and alcohol giants of blocking ‘life-saving’ health policies

The World Health Organization (WHO) accused tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed food companies of “intense lobbying” to prevent countries from implementing policies to improve people's health.

In a statement Thursday, the WHO said these “powerful industries” regularly try to “block, weaken, or delay” tax increases, restrictions on marketing that targets young people, and other “life-saving” health reforms.

“It is unacceptable that commercial interests are profiting from increasing deaths and disease,” Dr Etienne Krug, director of the WHO’s department of health determinants, promotion and prevention, said in a statement.

“Governments must put people before profits and ensure evidence-based policy is not derailed by corporate pressure,” Krug said.

The move comes days ahead of a high-level meeting at the United Nations General Assembly that will focus on chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and asthma, among others.

While chronic disease deaths have fallen around the world, progress has stalled in recent years, a recent analysis found.

The WHO has previously called on governments to raise prices on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks by at least 50 per cent over the next 10 years.

Tax hikes could prevent 50 million premature deaths over the next half-century and generate $1 trillion (€854.4 billion) in public funding over the next decade, the organisation said.

Industry groups have repeatedly rejected health officials’ calls for higher taxes on their products.

UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe, which represents soft drinks manufacturers, pushed back after the WHO issued policy guidance on food taxes earlier this month.

It said taxes were insufficient to boost health outcomes in Europe because obesity rates are continuing to rise in countries that have implemented taxes on sugary drinks, such as the United Kingdom.

“It is crucial to understand overall dietary behaviours and lifestyles and analyse food consumption patterns in Europe, rather than targeting one specific food category,” Nicholas Hodac, UNESDA’s director general, said in a statement earlier this month.