Neoliberal discourse, actor power, and the politics of nutrition policy: A qualitative analysis of informal challenges to nutrition labelling regulations at the World Trade Organization, 2007–2019

Unhealthy diets are increasing contributors to poor health and mortality in low- middle-income countries (LMICs). Government interventions targeting the structural drivers of unhealthy needed prevent these illnesses, including nutrition labelling regulations that create healthier food environments. Yet, implementation remains slow uneven. One explanation for highlights role politics, powerful ideological discourse its strategic deployment by economically actors. In this article, we advance research on politics policies analysing political within an influential under-studied global institution: World Trade Organization (WTO). We identified WTO Technical Barriers (TBT) Committee meeting minutes with reference proposed Thailand, Chile, Indonesia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay (2007–2019; n = 47). analysed frames, narratives, normative claims feature inter-country TBT meetings examined how actors mobilize material sources power via statements. find informal government challenges proposals featured a narrative individualized causes solutions diet, downplayed harms from industrialised products, framed state regulation as harmful unjust. These non-technical mobilised neoliberal ideology rhetoric contest legitimacy members’ de-socialize de-politicize diets. Furthermore, high-income (HICs) re-framed policy goals focus individual determinants whilst calling their preferred be adopted. Patterns also had striking similarities arguments raised multi-national corporations elsewhere. Our findings suggest during serve inconspicuous tools through which LMICs undermined HICs, industry, neoliberalism.