Background A large body of literature exists on trade liberalisation and the ways in which trade agreements can affect food systems. However, the systematic and objective monitoring of these and their impact on national food environments has been limited. Using a case study, this paper undertakes a systematic analysis of how Vanuatu’s obligations under WTO agreements has impacted its food environment. Results Data collection was guided by the INFORMAS trade monitoring framework’s minimal approach and seven selected indicators outlined in three domains: trade in goods, trade in services and FDI, and policy space. Strong associations between trade liberalisation and imported foods, especially ultra-processed foods were evident in measured indicators as follows: (i) food trade with 32 WTO countries showing high levels of import volumes; (ii) a marked increase in ‘less healthy’ focus food imports namely fatty and other selected meat products, sugar, savoury snacks, ice-cream and edible ices and energy-dense beverages; (iii) actual and bound tariff rates impacting import trends of ice-cream and edible ices, bakery products and confectionary; and in other instances, a sharp increase in import of crisps, snacks and noodles despite tariff rates remaining unchanged from 2008 to 2019; (iv) policies regulating food marketing, composition, labelling and trade in the domestic space with relatively limited safeguard measures; (v) 49 foreign-owned food-related companies involved in food manufacturing and processing and the production of coffee, bakery products, confectionary, food preservatives, fish, local food products and meat, and the manufacturing, processing and packaging of palm oil, coconut oil, cooking oil, water, cordial juice, flavoured juices, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. These were largely produced for local consumption; (vi) 32 domestic industries engaged in food and beverage production; and (vii) an assessment of WTO provisions relating to domestic policy space and governance showing that the current legal and regulatory environment for food in Vanuatu remains fragmented. Conclusions The analysis presented in this paper suggest that Vanuatu’s commitments to WTO agreements do play an important role in shaping their food environment and the availability, nutritional quality, and accessibility of foods.
Background: The liberalisation of international trade and foreign direct investment through trade agreements have been influential in the changing structure and nature of food systems. They have also contributed to the increased availability of foods associated with the nutrition transition globally. Despite the large body of literature on trade liberalisation and the ways in which trade agreements can affect food systems, the ways in which trade agreements can affect national food environments has been little studied. There is a need for more systematic and objective monitoring of the impacts of trade agreements to better understand its links and impacts on the influx of food imports high in fat, sugar and salt entering a country as this has direct impacts on the availability, nutritional quality and accessibility of foods in national food environments. Using the INFORMAS trade monitoring framework, a systematic analysis of Vanuatu’s membership to the WTO under the framework’s four domains was undertaken. Results: The baseline results presented in this paper suggest a strong association between Vanuatu’s trade liberalisation and the increased availability of the diverse range of imported products: fats and oils, meat and canned fish, processed dairy products, energy-dense beverages, and processed and packaged foods.Conclusions: The analysis presented in this paper suggest that Vanuatu’s commitments to WTO Agreements do play an important role in shaping their food environment by increasing both healthy and less healthy imports. For all Pacific Island countries, the systematic and objective monitoring of the impacts of these agreements on national food environments remains a significant challenge. There is also minimal data to inform the development of effective, coherent trade and health policy approaches to promote healthier food environments that can contribute to reducing the burden of obesity and related NCDs. Nevertheless, there is scope when developing trade policies and agreements to consider NCDs as part of broader social impact assessment studies. These can be used to identify potential modifications that can be made to trade policies and agreements. These modifications can regulate food environments and reduce the impact of NCDs or ensure that mitigating complementary actions are taken.
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