Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES) released the Who’s Tipping the Scales Report which indicated fears of bluewashing by corporates who are increasingly playing a big role in deciding what people eat. In this article, we discuss this report and corporate influence on public food governance. This topic is relevant for the IAS exam prelims and mains exams.
Who’s Tipping the Scales Report
This report is published by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES).
- The report highlights how corporations are increasingly taking over global food governance through public-private partnerships and multi-stakeholder roundtables.
Image source: www.ipes-food.org
UN Food Systems Summit as a watershed moment:
- The report highlighted the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit as a significant moment in bringing attention to the impact of corporate influence on public food governance.
- In 2020, the CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) system had the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as its second largest donor.
- The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has a history of seeking collaboration with the corporate sector through industry partnerships.
Bluewashing
- Bluewashing is using misinformation to deceive consumers into thinking that a company is more digitally ethical and secure than it really is.
- It is just like greenwashing but focused more on social and economic responsibility rather than the environment.
Corporate Influence on Public Food Governance
Image source: www.ipes-food.org
- Corporations have long had influence over international food governance, including visible and less visible ways such as lobbying, political donations, and shaping trade and investment rules.
- Partnerships with public food governance bodies, allow private firms to ‘blue-wash’ or ‘social-wash’ their reputation.
- Impact:
- Public-private partnerships and multi-stakeholder roundtables have given corporations an inside track to decision-making, and public governance initiatives have become reliant on private funding.
- This corporate capture allows them to shape policies and practices related to food production in ways that prioritise profit over the public interest.
- The report notes that this trend is concerning as corporations may justify their involvement by redefining the concept of public interest to suit their own interests.
- Concerns were raised that this corporate capture of food governance could undermine the public good and the rights of people and communities.
Way forward:
- The experts have suggested the development of better methods to assess, monitor and handle conflicts of interest in the governance of the food system.
- This includes creating more comprehensive rules on lobbying, spending, and financing campaigns aimed at influencing government policies and elections.
- The experts recommend that those who work with those who are most impacted by hunger and malnutrition should have a significant say in determining the food-related issues that require governance.
- They should also establish the agenda, terms of participation and procedures, and develop governance mechanisms and structures.
- They also recommend the creation of a UN-wide Corporate Accountability Framework to address the influence of corporations at all levels of decision-making and having robust conflict of interest policies.
Who’s Tipping the Scales Report: IPES:- Download PDF Here
Comments