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The Role of the Food Industry in Obesity Prevention

  • Obesity Prevention (A Must, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Obesity is a complex disease of diverse etiology. Among the potential influences in the development of obesity, the food supply chain remains an important influence. We provide a conceptual overview related to the food industry’s role in obesity prevention. We first discuss some limitations of current public health efforts. We then describe how a model that attends to personal autonomy in the context of supportive policy intervention can empower individuals in their efforts to navigate the food supply chain. We then provide an evidence informed overview of key areas where continued efforts to collaboratively engage the food industry, through solution-focused dialogue and action, have the potential to contribute to obesity prevention. While challenging, appropriately transparent, well-governed public-private partnerships have the demonstrated potential to benefit the communities we serve.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Binks would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by doctoral student Shao Hua Chin in conducting PubMed searches and providing editorial support in the production of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutritional Sciences, Texas Tech University, Mail Stop 41270, Lubbock, TX, 79409-1270, USA

    Martin Binks

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  1. Martin Binks
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Correspondence to Martin Binks.

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Conflict of Interest

Martin Binks reports no direct potential conflicts of interest associated with the production of this manuscript; reports that he has non-financial relationships with the following organizations: International Food Information Council, the Obesity Society-Secretary Treasurer; and reports that he serves as social media consultant to the Obesity Society, on speaker’s bureaus for Takeda and Novo Nordisk, who produce obesity medicines, has received an unrestricted educational grant from Coca Cola Company for student travel, received research funding from Nestle Health Science, and consulting fees from WorldCare Inc. and Binks Health.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Obesity Prevention

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Binks, M. The Role of the Food Industry in Obesity Prevention. Curr Obes Rep 5, 201–207 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-016-0212-0

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