Strategic decoupling through legitimacy: the sustainability-innovation gap in the food processing sector and its health implications

The weak coupling between sustainability communication and innovation behavior exposes a structural gap between corporate legitimacy efforts and tangible outcomes for sustainable development. Firms that prioritize reputational visibility over substantive innovation reinforce health inequities and constrain systemic reform. To enhance environmental and public health outcomes, both corporate and regulatory strategies should move beyond symbolic compliance toward outcome-based accountability. Such a shift can better incentivize innovation that enhances nutritional quality, strengthens social equity, and protects environmental integrity.