The tobacco, alcohol and ultra-processed (''junk'') food and drink industries have been rapidly expanding in low and middle-income countries. In the past decade, tobacco retail sales growth in these countries was 20 times that of the developed world. For alcohol consumption it was three times; sugar-sweetened beverages it was twice. But it isn't only Indonesia, China and South Africa where we find this dilemma; it is alive and well in Australia.

For years we have known that the tobacco industry promotes and funds biased research findings, co-opts policy makers and health professionals, lobbies politicians and officials to oppose public regulation, and influences voters to oppose public health measures through expensive public relations campaigns. This success has been noticed and over the past decade alcohol and ultra-processed food and drink companies have been emulating these very same tactics.

This is of little surprise given the flow of people, funds and activities across the industries. For example Philip Morris owned both Kraft and Miller Brewing; the board of SAB Miller (the second largest alcohol manufacturer) includes at least five past or present tobacco company executives and board members; and the Diageo executive director responsible for public affairs spent 17 years in a similar role at Philip Morris.

Economic development plays an important role in the health and wellbeing of populations. Income, employment and education levels are all major determinants of good health. Businesses create wealth, provide jobs and pay taxes (but as we have seen, not all of them). One of the best ways to protect and promote health is to ensure people have safe, meaningful jobs. The more evenly wealth and opportunity are distributed, the better the overall health and wellbeing of a population.

But clearly not all businesses are good or healthy - yet we see some of them expanding their markets and influence across the globe - seemingly with no capacity to diminish or mitigate the harm they do. It is astonishing that an industry such as tobacco, which is so harmful to human health, can wield so much power. In Indonesia, Philip Morris and its affiliate, Sampoerna, will invest $US174 million to improve production capacities so, as Sampoerna's president has said, ''Indonesia would be the centre of the Marlboro brand production to cater [for] demands in the Asia-Pacific region''.