Islamabad: Nutrition International and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) withdrew their planned participation in DawnMedia’s two-day Act for Nutrition conference being held in Islamabad after raising conflict-of-interest concerns over the involvement of commercial sponsors associated with processed and ultra-processed food products.
Officials familiar with Nutrition International’s decision said the organisation had initially been expected to take part in the conference, held in Islamabad on September 2 and 3, but decided to step back after learning that food-processing companies were among its principal commercial backers.
They said Nutrition International concluded that it could not associate itself with an event sponsored by companies whose commercial interests were viewed as inconsistent with its public-health nutrition mandate, particularly work aimed at improving diets of women, infants and young children.
UNICEF also withdrew after reviewing the sponsorship and partnership arrangements of the conference, according to a communication circulated among members of the Nutrition Development Partners forum.
The UN agency said it had initially provided technical support for development of the conference and agreed to contribute through speaking engagements. However, it said the public release of the invitation brought to its notice the involvement of sponsors whose commercial interests were not aligned with UNICEF’s nutrition agenda, including companies associated with ultra-processed food products.
UNICEF said it subsequently held discussions with DawnMedia to understand the structure and nature of the partnerships, and reviewed the matter in light of its organisational policies, conflict-of-interest provisions and the forum’s terms of reference.
“Following this assessment, UNICEF has decided to withdraw its participation from the conference,” the communication said, adding that the agency had requested removal of its logo and branding from conference material and that its staff would no longer participate in sessions, panels or related activities.
The decision has raised questions over the credibility of nutrition platforms in a country where more than 40 per cent of children under five are stunted and millions of women and children suffer from malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and food insecurity.
Nutrition experts say the concern is not that every private-sector engagement is inherently inappropriate. Food fortification, responsible manufacturing, food safety, affordable nutritious foods and transparent public-private partnerships can make a contribution to nutrition outcomes.
The issue, they say, is whether commercial entities whose profits may depend on highly processed, packaged or sugary food products should finance or shape a forum intended to guide nutrition policy, public messaging and interventions for mothers and children.
Ultra-processed foods are generally industrial formulations that may be high in sugar, salt or unhealthy fats and are often aggressively marketed. Public-health specialists have warned that their growing availability and consumption can displace healthier diets based on breastfeeding, whole grains, pulses, fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs and other minimally processed foods.
UNICEF’s communication said members of the Nutrition Development Partners forum had collectively committed to protecting nutrition policies and programmes from actual, potential and perceived conflicts of interest.
It said the review had concluded that the involvement of a lead sponsor fell within categories where UNICEF policies limited or precluded engagement. The agency stressed that it remained committed to evidence-based interventions for maternal, infant and child nutrition and would continue to work with government departments, development partners, civil society, academia and responsible private-sector actors through platforms consistent with its mandate and standards.
The conference programme listed English Biscuit Manufacturers (EBM) and Tetra Pak representatives in a session titled “Mobilising Private Capital and Partnerships.” EBM’s representative spoke about fortified biscuits for mothers and called for incentives for food fortification, while Tetra Pak’s representative urged reforms in food-safety laws and taxation.
The conference focused on malnutrition, stunting, maternal health, food systems, social protection, water and sanitation, nutrition financing and provincial nutrition policies. According to material issued by DawnMedia, Pakistan loses more than $17 billion annually to malnutrition and records about 155 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
The World Health Organisation and World Food Programme remained represented at the event, with their officials participating in sessions and the closing programme. Their continued participation should not, however, be treated as an endorsement of the sponsors or the sponsorship arrangements unless the agencies explicitly state so.
(DawnMedia, EBM, Tetra Pak, WHO and WFP may send their response to UNICEF and Nutrition International’s decisions, and to the concerns raised over the conference’s sponsorship structure, on WhatsApp at 03002657515.)