10/24/22 Cambridge University Press publishes a study (Carriedo et al., 2022) devoted to conflicts of interest between the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and Big Food giants. (1)
1) Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). Foreword
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND)-formerly the American Dietetic Association (ADA), founded in 1917-is the largest organization in the U.S. of food, diet and nutrition professionals, with about 100 thousand members.
Its statutory mission is ‘toaccelerate the improvement of global health and well-being through food and nutrition.’
The Academy has an institutional role in food policy-making, as do the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which are considered internationally as a ‘model’ for reference. (2)
2) Conflicts of interest. Background
Marion Nestle – renowned independent nutritionist and author of the books ‘Unsavory Truth,’ ‘Food Politics,’ and ‘Slow Cooked,’ among others – has extensively documented Big Food ‘s funding and influence on AND’s work over the years. (3) Some of his writings are given as examples:
- 2008. OK. Time to talk about the American Dietetic Association’s alliances with food companies
- 2015. Dietitians put seal on Kraft Singles (you can’t make this stuff up)
- 2015. Dietitians in turmoil over conflicts of interest: it’s about time
- 2017. The recent Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ election: controversy over non-disclosure of industry ties
- 2018. A special chapter in the book
Unsavory Truth: How the Food Industry Skews the Science of What We Eat
- 2020. Dietetic Association lets Bayer, owner of glyphosate, educate its members about pesticides.
3) Millions of dollars
USRTK(US Right To Know) researchers-thanks to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA. See footnote 4)-collected and examined 82 thousand pages of records, in the Burke County Public Schools system (Georgia, USA). The documents, which include email exchanges, were searched through keywords such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and its top leadership, as well as various industrial giants.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics accepted at least $15 million in funding and donations from the food, pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries in the 6 years alone covered by the study. His Foundation (ANDF) in turn received donations of about US$2 million each year, accounting for 62 percent. And it has adopted policies supportive of Big Food ‘s interests to reciprocate such ‘generosity’.
4) Position papers and scientific fraud
Position papers and scientific fraud are commonplace in an organization that distinguishes its ‘sponsors’ from its ‘supporters.’ As noted in an email exchange from its top leadership:
- ‘corporate sponsors pay a fee, and in return the Academy provides a right or benefit’
- ‘corporate supporters make a charitable contribution without any (explicit) expectation of commercial return.’
They follow each other thus stances in favor of GMOs and pesticides, applause for ultra-processed foods that the Academy includes in nutritional recommendations for children (the Kraft Singles scandal denounced by Marion Nestle in 2015. See supra, para. 2), scientific publications against the NOVA system (which instead indexes the ultraprocessed food, as seen). (5)
5) Mutual investment
The Corporations and their representations at the top of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ‘ list of ‘sponsors’ are:
– National Dairy Council (USD 1.5 mln), Conagra (1.4 mln), Abbott Nutrition (1.2 mln), Abbott Laboratories (0.8 mln), Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation (itself funded by Big Food, 0.8 mln),
– PepsiCo and Coca-Cola (USD 0.5 mln each), Hershey (0.4 mln). General Mills, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Aramark, Unilever, Best Foods, Kellogg USA (0.3 mln).
AND, the academy-union-establishment of nutritionists, has in turn invested in the stock market shares of ultra-processed and junk-food manufacturers. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics‘ 2015 equity investment portfolio included Nestle shares for
$244,036 and PepsiCo for $139,545.
6) Interim Conclusions
The study under review (Carriedo et al., 2022) provides yet more evidence of the continuation of three phenomena:
- the ‘dirty war’ against health policies and public health carried out by Big Food giants, in defiance of their token commitments on so-called Corporate Social Responsibility (6,7),
- the private corruption of some key players in the scientific community and their organizations, whose credibility is undermined by the absence of governance (8,9,10),
- public corruption, when institutions entrust the assessment of food safety and nutritional security risks-or even worse, their representation (11)-to stakeholders with interests opposed to the common good.
#ProfitOverPeople, Enough!
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) Carriedo, A., Pinsky, I., Crosbie, E., Ruskin, G., & Mialon, M. (2022). The corporate capture of the nutrition profession in the USA: The case of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/corporate-capture-of-the-nutrition-profession-in-the-usa-the-case-of-the-academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics/9FCF66087DFD5661DF1AF2AD54DA0DF9 Public Health Nutrition, 1-15. doi:10.1017/S1368980022001835
(2) FAO. Food-based dietary guidelines – United States of America. https://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/regions/countries/united-states-of-america/en/ Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.
(3) Marion Nestle. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Captured by Food Corporations. Food Politics. https://www.foodpolitics.com/2022/10/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-captured-by-food-corporations/ 25.10.22
(4) What is FOIA (2021). Open polis. https://www.openpolis.it/parole/che-cose-il-foia/
(5) Dario Dongo, Marta Strinati. NOVA classification, natural and ultra-processed foods. Friends and enemies of health. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 16.9.20
(6) Marta Strinati, Dario Dongo. Soda tax, here’s how Big Food counteracts health policies. And how to respond. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 7.10.22
(7) Marta Strinati, Dario Dongo. Nutrition and health, here’s how Big Food thwarts WHO. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 3.9.20
(8) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Conflicts of interest in scientific research. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 26.9.20
(9) Marta Strinati. Big Alcohol and a century of science in its service. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 5.11.20
(10) Marta Strinati. Nutrition research diverted by Big Food lobbies. New study. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 27.1.21
(11) Dario Dongo. Codex Alimentarius, the NutriScore and WHO guidelines. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 29.9.21
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
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