Health promotion policies and potential conflicts of interest involving the commercial private sector

This study analyzed potential conflicts of interest regarding the commercial private sector and health promotion policies, particularly their interface with the food and nutrition field in Brazil. The paper addresses the influence of international ideas in this process. The study analyzed the two separate publications of the Brazilian National Health Promotion Policy – of 2006, and of 2014 – and the international agreements that supported them. The method used was analysis of documents, with a categorization into the following dimensions and categories: In the dimension of the Ideas of health promotion, the focus items were the principles and the strategies proposed; In the dimension of conflicts of interest, these aspects were identified: the approach in the documents, relationships with the commercial private sector, and proposals referred to as ‘public-private partnerships’. It was concluded that these policies still adopt a fragile approach in terms of conflict of interest. The debate is de-politicized when the asymmetries of power between the sectors involved in the public-private relationships are not made explicit, or when the practices of the commercial private sector that harm objectives, principles and values of health promotion policies are left out of account.

Conflict of interest; Public health policies; Nutrition programs and policies; Public sector; Public-private partnerships