International Investment Agreements (IIAs) form parts of broader economic policy efforts by governments to attract foreign investment. However, industry actors have used them to dispute health policy measures in critical areas, including tobacco control and access to medicines. Governments find themselves caught between the interests of investors (companies), and the health of their citizens.

This ARC Discovery Project aims to generate new knowledge on how to affect the development and implementation of multisectoral public policy to reduce the supply and consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF).

The aim of this project is to build knowledge regarding how public policies contribute to the distribution of socioeconomic advantage and the implications for health equity. We are identifying mechanisms through which public policies may shape the distribution of material and non-materials resources (e.g., rules of access and accumulation) and a relevant and impactful set of indicators that can be used to measure the distribution of those material and non-material resources within countries. We will conduct qualitative analysis (e.g.

This work will employ the INFORMAS monitoring framework. The framework includes 12 modules that represent aspects of the food environment. Each module consists of an established set of standardized methods for data collection and analysis that can be used to characterize a particular policy domain. When implemented comprehensively, the INFORMAS framework is an accountability framework to ensure that major stakeholders (namely, governments and the food industry) have the policies and supports in place to create actual, sustained change in the food environment.