Commercial Power and Public Health: A Power–Influence Matrix Analysis of Snackification in India

Abstract

Background: India is experiencing a rapid dietary transition characterized by increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods, commonly described as “snackification.” While its health consequences are well documented, limited attention has been paid to the underlying power structures shaping food environments and policy responses. This study examines stakeholder dynamics influencing snackification through a power–influence lens. Methods: A qualitative, document-based stakeholder analysis was conducted using a Power–Influence Matrix framework. Publicly available documents from 2014 to 2024—including policy reports, regulatory drafts, stakeholder submissions, and academic literature—were systematically reviewed to identify key actors involved in food systems and nutrition policy in India. Stakeholders were categorized based on their relative power (capacity to shape policy outcomes) and influence (engagement in policy processes) and mapped across a matrix. Thematic analysis was used to interpret stakeholder relationships and governance dynamics. Results: The analysis revealed significant asymmetries in stakeholder power and influence. Food industry actors and regulatory institutions occupied the high power–high influence quadrant, reflecting substantial control over policy processes. Civil society and academic actors demonstrated high influence but limited power, constraining their ability to translate advocacy into policy change. Consumers, particularly children and adolescents, were positioned in the low power–low influence quadrant despite being disproportionately affected. Persistent delays in regulatory measures, including front-of-pack labelling, were linked to competing interests, institutional constraints, and concentrated commercial power. Conclusion: Snackification in India is shaped by structural and political-economic forces that extend beyond individual behaviour. Addressing its public health implications requires rebalancing stakeholder power, strengthening regulatory autonomy, and mitigating the influence of commercial actors within policy processes. A Power–Influence Matrix approach provides a valuable framework for understanding and addressing governance challenges in food systems.Top of Form Bottom of Form