01/04/2023
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The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (“AND,” the world’s largest organization of food professionals, which is seen as an authority in food policy-making and influences the development of the US dietary guidelines) has a “symbiotic relationship” with multinational ultra-processed food, pharma and agribusiness companies (“BigFPAs”), according to a study published recently in PHN. The study suggests AND (i) accepts millions of dollars from BigFPAs and has policies to provide favors and benefits in return at the expense of public health, (ii) invests in BigFPAs, (iii) has its leaders employed by or consulting for BigFPAs, and (iv) has discussed policies to fit the needs of its BigFPAs.
The study is based on a five-year investigation by public health scholars and US Right to Know, a nonprofit investigative public health group that obtained tens of thousands of pages of internal AND’s documents through state public records requests.
AND has been repeatedly criticized for its close ties to BigFPAs, and for acting as a “pro-industry voice” with policy positions that sometimes clash with its mission to improve health globally. The study, which provides the most comprehensive reporting to date on AND’s financial dealings, reports that AND accepted more than $15 million from BigFPAs between 2011-2017.
Also, recent studies mentioned in the report provide strong evidence that ultra-processed foods are increasing rates of multiple diseases and all-cause mortality. Yet, people are confused about these risks, primarily because they are being deliberately misled by BigFPAs, which profit from an industrial food system, influence science and policy efforts aimed at protecting health, and capture health professionals and institutions as vehicles to achieve their policy goals. For instance, AND helps to mainstream nutrition advice that often dovetails with corporate product defense messaging: AND doesn’t offer advice about particular foods to avoid; instead, it promotes the messaging of the BigFPAs claiming that classification of specific foods is overly simplistic—even though strong scientific evidence links processed foods to m
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