The entire nation is abuzz with the concept of “Self Reliant India”, the Prime Minister of India just learned from the Coronavirus crisis. We are glad atleast now the importance of self reliance is being openly talked about, if not implemented yet. For any nation to be a Superpower, the first and foremost criteria (nevermind the rest) is to be Food Self Sufficient. And to be self reliant is to be able to make your own policies. So, we ask, how self reliant is India’s Food Policy?
Partnership for an unhealthy planet
A recent report by Boston based organisation Corporate Accountability sheds light on how big business interferes with global health policy and science. The report titled PARTNERSHIP FOR AN UNHEALTHY PLANET features GreatGameIndia‘s research on International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) – an American nonprofit which has been quietly infiltrating Indian government’s health and nutrition bodies influencing India’s food policy on behalf of the chemical industry.
Political interference by food and beverage transnationals like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Nestlé, and PepsiCo is pervasive. The report dives into how these corporations have leveraged ILSI to cripple progress on nutrition policy across the globe, including in India.
Infact, there is an entire section on India with the names of the key players and their involvement. Interestingly, soon after we tweeted on it, the entire section on India just vanished from the report!
Read report by Boston based Corporate Accountability organization featuring @GreatGameIndia research on how ILSI – An International Shadowy Group Is Influencing India’s Food Policy 👉🏾 https://t.co/OBpayr8LNz
— GreatGameIndia (@GreatGameIndia) May 14, 2020
CA Report Partnership for Unhealthy Planet 👉🏾 https://t.co/r7KuhYmy55 pic.twitter.com/xtvsxMCQ39
Below we are publishing the deleted India section from the report for the awareness of our readers.
ILSI INDIA
PARTNERING WITH SCIENTISTS TO PAVE THE WAY FOR BIG SODA
With a population of more than 1.3 billion people, India has long been in the cross-hairs of Big Soda’s expansion plans. Recently, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincy announced that India is quickly on its way to becoming the third-largest market for the corporation. And it will come as no surprise that ILSI has been busy laying the groundwork for said expansion.
Whether it’s spinning a complex web of revolving doors or partnering with leading research institutions to denigrate traditional diets, the trade group’s presence is proving toxic for public health. The GreatGameIndia found that ILSI’s expanding influence in India (alongside Coca-Cola’s expanding market) has “coincided with mounting rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, especially diabetes, which affects more than 70 million Indians.”