Bush, under pressure at home to do something about the fact that two-thirds of Americans are now overweight or obese, has announced initiatives to encourage fitness, but argues that it is an individual's responsibility to keep their weight down. The president himself, a former jogger, likes to use exercise machines and claims that he has no problem fitting workouts into his life.
However, that is not Bush's only reason for arguing against any kind of social policy or public measure to prevent weight gain. There are enormous financial interests tied up in "Big Sugar." The sugar industry has strong connections to the highest levels of the US government through its lobbying firms, which have aggressively targeted politicians and government officials. One of the strongest factors in its favor is that much of US sugar production is based in Florida, a state that was vital in the 2000 presidential election and is likely to be key this year too.
One of the sugar magnates close to Bush is Jose "Pepe" Fanjul, president of giant Florida sugar firm Florida Crystals Corp.
He is one of Bush's top fund-raisers, and enjoys access to senior officials close to the president. His brother Alfy Fanjul deals, meanwhile, with the Democrats. Their access is seen as unmatchable -- former president Bill Clinton famously took a phone call from Alfy Fanjul while entertaining intern Monica Lewinsky.
Experts say that anyone hoping to raise political money in Florida will have to pay attention to its sugar industry. This is particularly true of the current administration as Florida's governor is Jeb Bush, the president's brother.
There have been other sugar contributions too. In 2000 Nelson Fairbanks, chief executive of US Sugar Corp, became a "Pioneer," a special status among fundraisers, for raising at least US$100,000 for Bush's campaign.
Warren Staley, chief executive of Cargill, which has a large sugar trading operation, is a Pioneer this year. Sometimes the money has come directly from the lobbyists themselves.
The decision by the US government to fight the global strategy has come as a major shock to many experts in the field. Bruce Silverglade, of the US health campaign group Center for Science in the Public Interest, said that the influence of "Big Sugar" in the about-turn was obvious.
As the WHO prepares to meet this week to thrash out a possible solution to the global obesity crisis, many believe they face a formidable opposition. Or as Silverglade puts it: "The sugar industry has its hands wrapped around the political system."
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