Behind the ‘creative destruction’ of human diets: An analysis of the structure and market dynamics of the ultra‐processed food manufacturing industry and implications for public health

Abstract

A global transition towards diets increasingly dominated by ultra‐processed foods (UPFs) has occurred in recent decades to the detriment of public health and the environment. This study aimed to examine long‐term trends in the structure and market dynamics of the global UPF manufacturing industry as part of broader efforts to understand the drivers of this transition. Using diverse methods, metrics and data sources, we examined several dimensions (e.g., industry concentration and profitability) according to an adapted structure–conduct–performance model. We found that the global UPF manufacturing industry has evolved to become a major component of global food systems, with its longstanding dominant corporations becoming some of the system's largest accumulators of profit and distributors of capital. It follows that reversing the global UPF dietary transition will require structural and regulatory changes to ensure that population diets, and food systems more broadly, are not subordinated to the interests of powerful for‐profit business corporations.

Assessment of the competitiveness of food products of Ukraine in the domestic and foreign markets

“…To prosper in this market, Ukrainian companies should contemplate partnering with Polish counterparts, investigating opportunities for joint ventures, or identifying specialised segments where they can introduce distinctive Ukrainian confectionery products. Moreover, it will be imperative to comprehend and adjust to the local inclinations and predilections to achieve success in Poland (Wood et al, 2023).…”

Ultra-processed Food and Obesity: What Is the Evidence?

“…TNCs develop UPF products with the purpose of maximising consumption, to increase sales, and therefore, profit [ 125 ]. As a result, properties of UPFs that may promote overconsumption have been optimised over years of development, in a food industry that has been increasingly financially incentivised since the 1980s [ 125 , 126 ]. Reductionist approaches that focus on nutrient reformulation alone or completely isolate food properties (e.g.…”

What is the purpose of ultra-processed food? An exploratory analysis of the financialisation of ultra-processed food corporations and implications for public health

“…We adopted an exploratory research design using multiple methods. Drawing from approaches described elsewhere [22,49], we used a range of methods to address the aims and objectives of this paper (see In this analysis, we focused on the voting behaviour of some of the world's largest investors in terms of shareholdings (see below for further details on investor selection). One of the ways by which investors can in uence the governance of corporations is through exercising their voting rights at annual shareholder meetings.…”

“…Third, governments, civil society, and business actors should support alternative food economies to help counter the dominance of corporate food systems that, over the course of many decades, have become heavily structured and incentivised to produce and market UPFs [22,114]. A key component of this strategy could entail increasing the role and contribution of non-corporate food businesses, such as producer co-operatives and social enterprises, in the production and distribution of diverse, sustainable foods.…”

“…In this paper, we focus on one key aspect of nancialisation that has been described as a potentially important shaper of population diets and food systems: the increasing prioritisation of the nancial interests of shareholders and owners by the decision-makers of UPF corporations above other economic, health, social and ecological considerations [22,35]. The norm underpinning this mode of corporate governance is often labelled 'shareholder primacy', referring to the belief or view that the sole purpose of the business corporation should be to maximise returns for its shareholders or private owners because this is the most rational and e cient way of achieving the broader social good [36].…”