Bite Back, a youth-led movement, campaigns to change the way unhealthy food is made, marketed and sold, especially to children. They recently launched a campaign to push back on the ‘relentless bombardment of junk food advertising’, and the team wanted to bring this issue directly to the attention of the directors of global food chains. So with our help through facilitating access and training, Bite Back youth activists Alice and Luke attended some huge AGMs over the past couple of months. Alice attended two virtual AGMs – McDonald’s, Mondelez International (owners of brands like Cadbury and Oreo), and Restaurant Brands International (who own the likes of Burger King and Popeyes), whilst Luke was in person for the Domino’s Pizza AGM in London, and Greggs’ in Newcastle.

We asked them about their experience attending these AGMs below.

In three words, how would you summarise your experience attending the AGMs of these food giants?

Alice: Mixed, empowering, challenging.

Luke: Challenging, eye-opening, inspiring.

In the lead-up to attending the AGMs, how did you feel?

Alice: Showing up at the AGMs felt like a culmination of all our previous work in the advertising campaign; we had taken over junk food giants' spaces with our billboard stunt, and now we were coming into their boardrooms. This meant I was feeling a fair bit of pressure to make our moments as powerful as possible, but I felt very prepared. The AGM activism training calls we did with ShareAction covered what to expect and helped us prepare for pretty much every eventuality, whether that was our question not being answered or character limits being imposed on the online questions. I also felt very confident about the effectiveness of the question we were asking because we had the opportunity to discuss in depth the past experiences of ShareAction at AGMs, in order to figure out what would be most impactful.

Luke: I felt nervous but excited. ShareAction’s training really helped - I was sent a clear briefing pack, walked through how AGMs work, and we even practiced how to ask questions confidently. That support made me feel prepped and reassured, even though it was a completely new environment for me.

What has been the best and worst part about attending the AGMs?

Alice: As I only attended online AGMs, the extent to which it felt like we were ‘in the room’ with big food was relatively limited, as we couldn’t see any of the board or company members, other attendees, or questions asked. Much of the process was therefore very controlled and felt quite unaccountable, so the worst part was definitely that it was quite easy to feel discouraged, as they almost came across as untouchable. However, the best part was that even where they avoided our questions, we know they saw them, which felt very empowering. I definitely left feeling energised and even more convinced of the importance of fighting for change, for example through calling for government regulation, as these companies are very evidently not going to improve of their own volition.

Luke: The best part has definitely been having the chance to speak truth to power - to challenge major food companies face-to-face and represent my generation. The worst part was the intimidating setting, especially at Domino’s, where the room was full of suits and corporate language. But even that became part of the motivation to keep going.

Do you think AGMs are an important part of the campaign process?

Alice: AGMs are definitely a massively important part of the campaign process because it means we are engaging with all stakeholders and pushing for change from every direction. That both increases our chances of our success, and makes us even harder to ignore. Even though we didn’t always receive responses, internal conversations may have been started, and companies will know they are on our radar. I think it is also important for our supporters to know we are trying to make progress through every avenue possible, by engaging with corporations as well as government, and it is a powerful symbol of how far we have come to be turning up at AGMs.

Luke: AGMs give us direct access to decision-makers. They’re a rare chance to publicly hold companies to account, ask tough questions, and make sure young people’s voices are heard at the highest level. It’s where campaign pressure becomes personal for the people in charge.

Would you encourage other young people to get involved in AGM activism?

Alice: I would definitely encourage other young people to get involved in AGM activism. It is so important to ensure we are in the room and reminding everyone of our stake in these companies, which is so often forgotten. We also have some seriously powerful stories to share, and who better for those to come from than ourselves?

Luke: Absolutely. It might feel daunting at first, but it’s one of the most empowering experiences you can have as a young campaigner. You don’t need to be an expert - just passionate, prepared, and willing to speak up. The support from groups like ShareAction makes it possible.

What’s the plan going forward for the Bite Back advertising campaign?

Alice: From the range of responses and non-responses we have received, these companies have made it very clear that they don’t intend to voluntarily regulate themselves and do better for child health. They essentially have built a case for industry regulation for us, so now I think it's time to take this back to the government and ask them to step in. However, this doesn’t mean we are turning down the heat on these companies. I don’t doubt that many internal conversations may have been started, and the investors at the AGMs will have heard and are now considering our case, so we will definitely be continuing to call for change from the corporate sector.

Luke: We’re pushing to get junk food advertising out of places that target young people. The AGM work is part of that wider effort to hold companies accountable and push for healthier, fairer marketing. We’ve got more actions planned, and we’re building momentum.

To find out more about Bite Back’s work, you can head to their website, and to find out more about ShareAction’s AGM activism work, click here.