People, planet or profit? the impact of food and beverages companies on the environment, human rights and public health

Over the past century, food and beverage companies have enjoyed unprecedented commercial success. But these companies have grown prosperous while the millions who supply the land, labor and water for their products face increasing hardship, food insecurity and poor health outcomes. Now, in a rapidly changing environment, affected communities and an increasingly savvy consumer base are pushing the industry to rethink “business as usual.” And the public health community has a critical role to play.

The Private Sector and The Global Food System: we will begin with an exploration of the global food system and the key role the private sector plays in the choices consumers have at the grocery store and the opportunities communities have at the bottom of the supply chain.

Food Justice Scorecard: we will then discuss Oxfam's Food Justice Scorecard, which ranks the top 10 food and beverage companies in the world across seven environmental and human rights indicators that are implicitly tied to health outcomes: climate change, land use, water use; the rights of women, farm workers and small holder farmers; and transparency. We will delve into the methodology, and the roles and responsibility companies have in building a better food system and ensuring food security.

Public Health Community's Role: we will wrap up with an analysis the public health community's role in advocating for people and planet, from corporate engagement and making the business case for sustainability and public health, to public campaigning to pressure companies to focus on people, planet and profit.