International Trade and Investment and Food Systems: What We Know, What We Don’t Know, and What We Don’t Know We Don’t Know

Abstract

Background: Globalised and industrialised food systems contribute to human and planetary health challenges, such as food insecurity, malnutrition, and climate change. International trade and investment can serve as a barrier or enabler to food system transformations that would improve health and environmental outcomes. Methods: This article used health impact assessment (HIA) to analyse what we know, what we don’t know, and what we don’t know we don’t know about the role that trade and investment might play in food system transformations to improve human and planetary health. Results: Evidence exists for the link between trade and investment and the spread of unhealthy food commodities, efforts to impede nutrition labelling, and increased concentration of ultra-processed food and beverage product companies. The role of trade and investment in the reduction of animal sources in human diets is emerging and may include challenging measures that restrict the use of terms like ‘milk’ and ‘burger’ in plant-based alternatives and the promotion of plant-based foods through non-tariff barriers and targeted efforts at regulatory harmonisation. Trade disputes may serve as the forum for battles around state discrepancies in the safety and acceptability of technological innovation in the food supply, as was the case with hormone treated beef between the European Union (EU) and the United States. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) obligations are unambitious but represent welcome progress in balancing public and private interests. Finally, introducing greater policy flexibility, transparency, and participation provides opportunities to shape a modern trade and investment system that can respond to future food system challenges in a timely fashion. Conclusion: Research at the intersection of trade and investment and food systems should address emergent food systems issues, particularly those that intersect health and climate, while policy efforts should be future-proofing the flexibility of the trade and investment system to enable food system design that supports improved human and planetary health outcomes.

Interlinkages between Climate Change and Food Systems: The Impact on Child Malnutrition—Narrative Review

“… The trade–food system–nutrition–climate nexus highlights the perverse effects of trade instruments related to agriculture and the food industry and their impacts on diets. Well-known examples are the spread of ultra-processed food through foreign direct investment by multinational companies into local production between the 1980s and 2000, representing a period of extensive investment and trade liberalisation around the world [ 81 , 82 ]. This strand of literature argues that private trade and investment tools accrue benefits for food availability and diet quality, complementing areas of domestic policies.…”

Interdisciplinary insights on the future of food systems research: perspectives from the next generation of research leaders

“…ECRs have been pioneering research into the impacts of international trade and investment agreements on national food environmentsmaking a significant contribution to our understanding of the impact of public policy on nutrition and health. This work demonstrates that the current trade and investment system has produced https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980022001641 Published online by Cambridge University Press Accepted manuscript (and reproduced) a global food system that preferences heavily processed products and increasing corporate concentration (4)(5)(6)(7) . Intersections with contemporary issues such as calls for reduced animal products in the global food supply have also been highlighted.…”

“…Intersections with contemporary issues such as calls for reduced animal products in the global food supply have also been highlighted. For example, trade and investment rules regarding non-discrimination may inhibit national policies which attempt to obstruct the marketing of alternative plant-based proteins (e.g., restrictions on monikers such as 'sausage' or 'burger') at the request of domestic meat industries (7) . Greater engagement from public health nutritionists in this space is required to ensure that trade and investment agreements can be leveraged to deliver healthy and equitable food systems.…”

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