ABSTRACT
While public health has assembled a strong evidence base for measures that reduce harm from unhealthy commodities, the corporations profiting from these products have been effective in influencing governments into preferring less effective measures. This chapter provides an overview of industry influence and is organised into three parts. The first part divides industry tactics into three chains of influence: the public good chain along which corporations seek to promote a positive image of their products and their practices, the knowledge chain along which researchers are recruited to produce consumption-friendly research, and the political chain along which industry actors seek to build relationships of influence with government actors. The second part of the chapter illustrates the use of processes with individual consumptions: tobacco industry manipulation of researchers, alcohol industry strategic use of front groups, gambling industry capture of community groups, food industry use of diversion tactics, and gun and pharmaceutical industry blend of a mix of these tactics. The third part focuses on strategies for weakening industry influence, including improving self-assessment of the risks of industry links and the development of codes of ethics.
