title: Nutribusiness: an aspect of the political economy of persistent hunger.
abstract: The failure of nutrition programs to significantly impact on the prevalent hunger in underdeveloped countries is attributed to nutribusiness. This term conceptually links the activities of profit-motivated capitalist enterprises to the continuous generation of poverty and hunger. The actors are all part of a hierarchy dominated by multinational corporate interests and including bilateral and multilateral aid agencies, nutrition institutes, and nutrition professionals at various levels. Although many lower-level nutrition workers are unwittingly caught up in the system, most of the higher-level professionals are conscious of their roles, which they selfishly perform for personal advancement. The Philippine nutrition system is examined as an example of nutribusiness, albeit in a very obvious and extreme form. On the available evidence, the conclusion is drawn that in countries dominated by capitalist production, nutrition activities amount to nutribusiness. Consequently, the elimination and prevention of persistent hunger in underdeveloped countries must start with their disengagement from the world capitalist system and their pursuit of socialist transformation.
mesh_terms: D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D003132:Commerce; D003906:Developing Countries; D005523:Food Supply; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D010679:Philippines; D011056:Political Systems; D011203:Poverty