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Background Framing plays an important role in health-policy processes. Responsibility for health is a salient and contested concept in the framing around food policies, such as sugar taxes. To deepen the understanding of the sugar tax process in Germany and contribute to a better understanding of how responsibility frames are used in debates on health policies, this study investigated responsibility concepts underlying the German media debate on sugar taxation. Methods We analyzed 114 national German newspaper articles, published between January 2018 and March 2019, following an inductive thematic analysis approach with an additional deductive focus on responsibility. We identified important contested concepts around sugar taxation, analyzed their combination into narrative frames, and scrutinized those narrative frames for underlying responsibility concepts. Results First, we identified important contested concepts regarding problems, actors and solutions (i.e. sugar tax and its potential alternatives). Those laid the basis for 13 narrative frames, of which the 'unscrupulous industry', 'government failure', 'vulnerable youth' and the 'oversimplification', 'responsible industry' and 'nanny state' frames were most salient. Within the narrative frames, we found a dominance of societal responsibility framing with a conflict between binding, legislative measures and voluntary solutions in cooperation with the food and beverages industry. Conclusions Questions around societal responsibility for health and corporate social responsibility framing become more salient in sugar tax debates. Future research should, therefore, investigate how public health advocates can successfully engage with corporate social responsibility narratives, and how legislative measures can be framed in ways that engender trust in governmental actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue: EU Reg 625/2017 establishes that all Food Business Operator FBO needs to be categorised based on risk. The risk rating is obtained by summing the scores of the non-conformities and risk factors checked. Description of the problem: In the past, various categorisation systems have been used but due to many FBO present in the regional territory, a new system of categorisation rapid and efficient is required. Results: The system classifies the risk of FBO in two phases: the first, based on static criteria (type and volume of production, market areas), in which a default category is established; the second, based on dynamic and technical criteria (provisions and scores of official control, structural and productive features), in which a definitive category is established. When a FBO is set up, it presents a declaration of start-up that included the static criteria: a preliminary risk category is determined. The authorities assign a definitive rating by a complex inspection, during which specific check-lists of the dynamic and technical criteria are completed. Each element is assigned a percentage weight, which contributes to the risk assessment, and so to the frequency of controls. A value >70% means high risk and 1 control per year; a value of 69.9-50% means medium risk and 1 control every 2 year; a value of 59.9- 30% means low risk and 1 control every 3 years, and a value <29.9% indicates a negligible risk and controls on demand. In the period between 2 inspections, the score will be updated by the outcomes of any other official controls. The rating is updated according to favourable or unfavourable outcome. Lessons: In addition to being efficacious and efficient, this new system of categorisation optimises the work of the authorities. Key messages: • This new categorisation system makes risk-based controls simpler and more efficacious. • The project involves various Italian regions and the OECD, thereby enabling official controls to be standardised at the European level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is growing evidence that the ‘corporate political activity’ (CPA) of the food industry is a major barrier to the development and implementation of public health policies to promote healthy food environments. The CPA, by targeting the public and health professionals, amongst others, could also promote the consumption of industrial foods, including ultraprocessed ones, which is known to lead to ill-health. The purpose of the present study was to map the actors, history and the CPA of the baby food industry in France. Methods: The study consisted of an analysis of publicly available information for data published between May 2019 and April 2021. Interviews with key informants from academia, civil society and the government served to triangulate that information. For both parts of the study, a qualitative thematic analysis was conducted, using an existing classification of the CPA. Results: During the study period, Danone and Nestle´ used action-based ‘instrumental strategies’. The most prominent strategy was ‘information strategy’, used to fund, produce, and disseminate industry-preferred information. Danone and Nestle´ were further found to ‘establish relationships with key opinion leaders and health organisations’, such as pediatric societies, ‘seek involvement in community’, especially during the Covid19 crisis and used voluntary commitments, a practice that may help avoid the mandatory regulation of their harmful products and practices. The companies also employed argument-based ‘discursive strategies’ to frame the debate on diet- and public health-related issues. Conclusions: These findings can be used to recognize, anticipate, and address CPA practices that may negatively influence infant, child and maternal health, by ensuring that the commercial interests of the industry do not prevail over public health goals. Key messages: The baby food industry uses a range of political practices in France, which may negatively influence infant, child and maternal health. This study seeks to uncover and describe these practices. This research will serve us both for the political environment, an advocacy work, but also to broaden scientific knowledge on the subject, in France and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Listeria monocytogenes is a widespread foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis, a human infection with low morbidity but high mortality. Internalin A (InlA), a L. monocytogenes virulence factor, has a key role in the invasion of human intestinal epithelium through the interaction with E-cadherin receptor. Truncated InlA caused by premature stop-codons (PMSC) have been correlated with attenuated virulence. To date, 29 mutations leading to a PMSC have been reported. In this study, we identified a rare PMSC mutation widespread in isolates from the production chain of the Gorgonzola and Taleggio PDO cheeses. Methods: Within an ongoing monitoring plan for the characterization of L. monocytogenes, a total of 81 isolates collected in Lombardy (Northern Italy) from food, food processing environments, and clinical cases, between 2013-2021, were characterized using multilocus sequence tying (MLST) and then screened for the presence of PMSC by sequencing the 2400 pb inlA gene. Results: A mutation leading to PMSC was identified on the position 277 (PMSC mutation type 26). To date, this mutation has been reported only on a CC7 strain from a clinical case. In our study, all isolates harbouring this mutation (n = 21) belong to ST325 (CC31, serotype 1/2a). Among these, 86% (n = 18) belong to the production chain of the Gorgonzola and Taleggio PDO cheeses. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of PMSC mutation type 26 on food and environmental isolates. Although PMSC 26 is rarely found worldwide, our findings suggest that ST325 with this mutation is widespread in the production chain of the two PDO cheeses, and the presence of this PMSC may be correlated with the low incidence of ST325 clinical cases. Key messages: A rare mutation leading to truncated InlA has been identified in a cluster of isolates correlated to the production chain of two PDO cheeses. Truncated inlA is suggestive of adaptation to the niche to the detriment of virulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is evidence that food industry actors try to shape science on nutrition and physical activity. But they are also involved in the influence of scientific integrity principles. Our research objective was to study the extent of that involvement, with a case study of ILSI as a key actor in that space. Methods: We conducted a qualitative document analysis, triangulating data from an existing scoping review, publicly available information, internal industry documents, and existing freedom of information requests. Results: Food companies have joined forces through ILSI to shape the development of scientific integrity principles. These activities started in 2007, in direct response to the growing criticism of the food industry’s funding of research. ILSI first built a niche literature on conflicts of interest (COI) in food science and nutrition at the individual and study levels. Because the literature was scarce on that topic, these publications were used and cited in ILSI’s and others’ further work on COI, scientific integrity, and PPP, beyond the fields of nutrition and food science. In the past few years, ILSI started to shape the very principles of scientific integrity then and to propose that government agencies, professional associations, non-for-profits, and others, adopt these principles. In the process, ILSI built a reputation in the scientific integrity space. ILSI’s work on scientific integrity ignores the risks of accepting corporate funding and fails to provide guidelines to protect from these risks. Conclusions: The activities developed by ILSI on scientific integrity principles are part of a broader set of political practices of corporations to influence public health policy, research, and practice. It is important to learn about and counter these practices as they risk shaping scientific standards to suit corporate interests rather than public health ones. Key messages: • ILSI, a group funded by corporations, shaped the very principles of scientific integrity. • ILSI built a reputation in the scientific integrity space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]