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Alcohol and junk food companies are exploiting the pandemic

From marketing beer with pandemic lingo to giving money to governments, a new report argues that corporate capture of COVID-19 is putting lives at risk.

By Kerry Cullinan and Soita Khatondi Wepukhulu

Alcohol and junk food companies are exploiting the pandemic — A beer company used a six-foot 'social-distancing' cooler to promote itself. - Photo courtesy of "Signally virtue, promoting harm."

Published: September 10, 2020, 3:35 pm

Alcohol and junk food companies have used the pandemic to “ingratiate” themselves with the public and governments – yet their products are driving diseases that exacerbate a COVID-19 infection.

Companies have donated junk food and sugary drinks to health workers and children’s homes. A beer maker has marketed a six-foot “social distancing” cool box. Others have made donations to government relief efforts

These are just a few of the findings in ‘Signalling Virtue, Promoting Harm’, a report released this week that crowdsourced the global pandemic activities of what it calls the “unhealthy commodities industry” – alcohol, junk food and drink, baby formula, fossil fuel and gambling companies.

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