Resolutions about health issues relate to pharmaceutical use and pricing. Additional resolutions raise concerns about tobacco and healthy food. (Related proposals that connect these issues to board oversight and executive pay are covered in the Sustainable Governance section of this report.)

Deaths and costs from the burgeoning opioid epidemic continue to spiral upward. Investors, including state treasurers in states grappling with related budget impacts, are using a corporate governance lens to call for more transparency and accountability from companies connected to the crisis.

Coca-Cola has challenged a proposal from Harrington Investments that asks for a report by November

ICCR members have long been concerned about the rising costs of prescription drugs. Last year, they hit upon a proposal about pricing risks and connections to executive pay incentives, an approach they are using again in 2019 (see p. 72 for information on nine proposals). Another proposal, however, was filed at Johnson & Johnson by the UAW Retirees Medical Benefits Trust. It focused on barriers to generic drug competition and the UAW Trust withdrew after the company agreed to further disclosure on the issue.

Just two resolutions on tobacco have been filed for 2019. The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia have resubmitted a proposal to Altria that earned 4.1 percent last year. It asks the company to “take steps to preserve the health of its tobacco-using customers by making available to them information on the nicotine levels for each of our cigarette brands and begin reducing nicotine levels in our brands to a less addictive level.”