The right to food in obesogenic environments: Reflections on the role of health professionals

Faced with the current obesity epidemic, this article problematizes the way the right to food is often circumscribed to situations of nutritional deficit. It is argued that the right to adequate food is violated in obesogenic environments and that protection of the right requires the establishment of measures to regulate advertising and marketing practices regarding ultra-processed products. The work suggests that the main barriers to the implementation of such measures are the strategies employed by Big Food; among these, strategies that have the scientific community as a target and/or means are highlighted. Certain basic underlying assumptions are identified in the discourse of health professionals that contribute to create a framework of legitimacy regarding the consumption of ultra-processed products. The adoption of an ethical position that is free of conflicts of interest is suggested, so as to advocate for needed regulatory measures of a statutory nature.