What can be learned from others about countering industry interference? What can be learned from others about countering industry interference?

Policy Snapshot 

In 2025, The Bahamas enacted the Health Promotion and Wellness Act, which contains one of the most explicit prohibitions on food industry participation in nutrition policymaking seen in the Caribbean region. While it is too early to assess implementation, the Act’s design offers a potentially replicable model for governments seeking to institutionalize conflict of interest protections in food policy.

Legislative Journey

2018: Development of the Act begins, with foundational research and a preliminary draft.

2024: The initiative gains momentum after a PAHO regional workshop in Barbados on eliminating industrially produced trans fatty acids and setting sodium reduction targets. A national working group is formed to draft the legislation. To improve its chances of passage, the Bill broadens into a health promotion and wellness framework and grants the Minister of Health and Wellness authority to implement nutrition policies.

2025: The Bill passes the Senate in August and receives assent from the Governor-General.

What Makes It Notable

The Act explicitly bars anyone affiliated with a commercial entity regulated by the law from participating in policy decision-making or standard development (Section 19). Crucially, conflict of interest protections are embedded across multiple provisions, including the establishment of a professionally constituted advisory body with no industry seats (published in the Gazette for accountability and transparency purposes), requirements for education campaigns before new policies are introduced and powers to adopt protective public health policies.

Key Takeaways

• The Act explicitly excludes the industry from policy decision-making—an approach that while not feasible in every context, lays the foundation for strong protections where it is.
• Conflict of interest is embedded directly and indirectly in multiple levels of the Act, creating overlapping protections that are harder to undermine.
• The establishment of an advisory commission constituted by health professionals, publicly funded and publicly accountable, with no industry seats creates a decision-making space insulated from industry influence

➔ See Food Policy Hub’s best practice recommendations and adoption page for tips to manage and regulate conflict of interest in food policy.

Health Canada, the department of the Canadian government responsible for national health policy, has moved to increase transparency in its engagement with different stakeholders related to initiatives for healthier eating, including front-of-package labels. A table tracking all correspondence and meetings with stakeholders related to healthy eating initiatives is published on the Health Canada website on an ongoing basis. The table has information on the date, topic and purpose of correspondence or meetings with various stakeholders. In addition, the public can request access to documents shared during these meetings. This policy has helped to increase transparency of the government’s interactions with industry in policies and initiatives related to healthier eating.