Lobbying is often considered the sole remit of large companies and firms, but it also has the potential to directly influence our health, what is on our plates, and what we see in our supermarket aisles. Here’s how lobbying works to shape agricultural policy and influence both regional and national food environments - for better or worse.
At its core, lobbying is when an individual or a collective shares their opinions on an issue with government officials, with the aim of influencing policy. Conventional lobbying involves companies engaging professional lobbying firms to execute lobby campaigns. However, as lobbying practices have evolved due to technology and the diversification of lobbying channels, the scope of what it means to ‘lobby’ has widened. It is now common for non-profits, industry groups and companies to directly launch lobbying campaigns.
The means of lobbying range widely, from more traditional approaches, such as directly engaging with politicians, to funding academic papers that support a policy stance or shaping public perception through social media campaigns. Modern lobbyists usually adopt a combination of these approaches. Here are a few of the common approaches used to lobby:
A prime example of this was seen in 2016 when a journal article revealed that the US sugar industry funded research that downplayed the relationship between sugar and coronary heart disease in the 1960s and 1970s. 2, 3 The funded literature review examined multiple causes of coronary heart disease and concluded the best way to address the disease is to cut out fat in American diets.
Digital technology has gifted food lobbyists another powerful tool to influence public opinion. Social media campaigns have become a key way for companies to shape, inform, and sometimes misinform public perception in favour of their message. 4 One study published by the University of London exposed how the Australian ultra-processed food industry has used social media to influence policy and found some of the main tactics include: co-opting public health narratives, supporting self-regulation, engaging in policy processes and affecting public perception. 5 In one example, Australia’s Beverage Council responded to a Twitter comment, stating “[@anonymised]: Discriminatory taxes like a soft drink tax have had no discernible impact on public health ANYWHERE in the world”.
In 2020, Food and Beverage companies (F&B companies) spent a collective USD 38.2 million on lobbying, and they will lobby about any issue that will affect their business.
I can't think of a single area of food or nutrition policy that isn't subjected to lobbying [by the largest F&B companies].
The lobbying process will look different depending on the initiators, the channels used and the country the lobbying occurs in. Despite this, it is generally agreed that the most effective period to lobby is during the initial agenda-setting stage.
Here’s a brief summary of how a lobby campaign can be initiated by an advocacy group in the EU:
Most recently, the EU’s agri-food lobbies have been lobbying against the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy. With an overall goal to make food in Europe healthier and more sustainable, objectives of the Farm to Fork strategy include halving the use of pesticides and antibiotics in livestock farming and reducing the use of fertilisers by 20%. Agri-food lobbies such as Copa Cogeca and CropLife Europe have actively lobbied to weaken the strategy; some have also leveraged the threat of food insecurity caused by the Ukrainian war to further roll back the strategy. 14
While lobbying is often associated with companies looking to shape policy or opinion out of self-interest, in the right hands, lobbying can also serve as a powerful means to improve our food systems. Eurogroup for Animals is a non-profit advocacy group that has worked with its members to improve animal welfare since its launch in 1980. Eurogroup has launched many successful lobby campaigns both independently and via the European Citizens’ Initiatives (ECI).
The European Citizens Initiative (ECI) was launched by the European Union (‘the EU’) so that citizens can directly participate in the policy-making process. If a citizen led proposal reaches one million signatures, the European Commission will act on the issue. Citizen representatives will be able to meet with a European Commission representative to discuss the issue and will have a chance to present it to the EU Parliament at a public hearing. 8
Another example of a successful ECI proposal is the recent ‘Save the Bees and Farmers’, initiated by a network of over 140 environmental NGOs, farmer and beekeeper organisations. Collectively, the members are demanding for an EU that is environmentally friendly, free of synthetic pesticides and respects biodiversity and farmers. The ECI ended after receiving 1.2 million signatures and has been submitted to the European Commission.
Lobbying is a democratic, legal activity that can help politicians gain insights into the key issues impacting citizens and organisations. However, the practice can also lead to unfair advantages for parties with more resources to invest in lobbying activities. Camilla Bjorkbom, Political Advisor for Food Policy at Eurogroup for Animals, comments, “The corporates with business interests have a lot of money to spend, they can sway politicians… this is not regulated, it’s not always a level playing field”.
Lobbying can also put public interests at risk when it happens behind closed doors. For example, US lawyer Miriam Guggenheim is described in the US National Law Review as a representative who ‘assists a broad range of major food and dietary supplements companies … in achieving their marketing goals while minimising regulatory and litigation risks.’ 10 Despite working with companies such as ‘Mars’ on lobbying activities in 2011, Guggenheim has not been registered as a lobbyist since 2010. 11 Guggenheim’s case serves as an example of the ways in which lobbying has and likely continues to occur without full public transparency outside regulatory frameworks.
Most countries have mandatory or voluntary systems in place to regulate lobbying practices. In fact, almost 90% of jurisdictions require lobbyists to be registered on a public registrar. 13 In 2011, the EU set up the Transparency Register, a public database that records the activities of interest groups trying to influence EU decision-making. 12 Countries such as the US and Canada also have mandatory legislation requiring lobbyists to report annually on client spending. However, such regulation has been criticised as insufficient, with a US report finding that those registered to lobby disclose minimal information about their activities. 11
There are also many independent organisations, such as Europe’s Corporate Observatory Europe and the US’s Open Secrets, which work to increase lobbying transparency by providing data about lobbyists and their funding sources. To provide equal access to lobbying, initiatives such as Brussels-based ‘The Good Lobby’ assist citizens and nonprofits with lobbying skills and activities. The Good Lobby aims to increase citizen-driven lobbying by advising nonprofits on making their case at the EU level.
Since companies with vested interests usually have more financial resources to allocate to lobbying, can humble citizens make their voices heard?
Laurence Modrego from The Good Lobby explains, “The EU is actually a very open institution; they actively encourage citizens and civil society organisations to be part of the legislative process, especially because they were previously criticised as too opaque.” When asked how to effectively lobby politicians, Bjorkbom comments, “Ultimately, civil society organisations and non-profits represent the public interest - businesses don’t. Since politicians need to be elected, they are very open to adopting recommendations from public advocacy groups.”
Lobbying activity has undoubtedly shaped food and agricultural policy. Though not all food and agriculture lobbies have the public interest at heart, the democratisation of lobbying reflects the potential to positively influence public health and the sustainability of the food system.
