Anna Gilmore, public health researcher: Just four products cause at least a third of all deaths
3 minute readPublished: Sunday, June 22, 2025 at 4:21 am
**Corporate Influence on Public Health: A Deep Dive**
A recent interview with public health researcher Dr. Anna Gilmore highlights the significant impact of corporate practices on global health. Dr. Gilmore, a professor specializing in the commercial determinants of health, emphasizes that factors beyond genetics and environment play a crucial role in individual well-being. She identifies four key products – tobacco, fossil fuels, alcohol, and food – as major contributors to mortality, estimating they cause between one-third and two-thirds of all global deaths.
Dr. Gilmore details how large corporations employ various tactics to influence public perception and policy. These include manipulating product formulations to increase addictiveness, concealing the harms of their products, and shaping public beliefs to shift blame onto individuals. She points to the tobacco industry's history of deception and the fossil fuel industry's use of "carbon footprinting" as examples of this strategy.
Furthermore, Dr. Gilmore discusses how corporations exert influence through lobbying, funding third-party organizations, and investing in corporate social responsibility initiatives. These actions often create conflicts of interest and undermine effective regulation. She stresses the need for governments to recognize these conflicts and exclude corporate interests from policymaking.
Regarding smoking, Dr. Gilmore underscores the addictive nature of tobacco and the industry's manipulation of cigarettes. She advocates for policies such as increased taxation, advertising bans, plain packaging, and public smoking bans. She also highlights the need to address the industry's efforts to circumvent regulations through new product launches and public relations campaigns.
Dr. Gilmore concludes by expressing hope for change, advocating for a shift towards a different economic model. She argues that the current capitalist system is unsustainable, citing global warming, biodiversity loss, and growing inequalities as evidence. She urges governments to recognize the damage caused by corporations and to take action to protect public health and the environment.
BNN's Perspective:
Dr. Gilmore's analysis paints a stark picture of corporate influence on public health. While the issues she raises are complex, her call for greater regulation and a reevaluation of our economic model is a necessary conversation. Finding a balance between economic growth and public well-being is crucial, and this requires a critical examination of corporate practices and their impact on society.
Keywords:
Public health, corporate influence, commercial determinants of health, tobacco, fossil fuels, alcohol, food, mortality, lobbying, regulation, capitalism, smoking, addiction, economic model, corporate social responsibility.