Consumers International recommendations for the UN high-level summit on non-communicable diseases

Three of the four main risk factors for NCDs relate directly to consumer issues. Consumers International (CI) calls on world leaders to support consumers through education, principled advice, restrictions on harmful or misleading marketing, and actions to ensure access to healthy products and the elimination of disincentives to healthy consumption. The actions of industry should be guided by clear policy parameters developed by governments in the public interest and without any commercial conflict of interest. CI also calls on governments to cooperate nationally and internationally to incorporate prevention of the risk factors for NCDs into other policy-making areas besides health, including but not limited to: trade, taxation, education, food security, agriculture, food production, food safety, urban development and the environment. Global bodies should commit to ensuring that agreements on trade liberalisation, procurement and investment do not constrain governments' policy choices to tackle risk factors for NCDs including the promotion of healthier foods and diets.