this post was submitted on 07 Oct 2023
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381
US nutrition panel’s ties to top food giants revealed in new report (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 10 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
32 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Almost half of a federal government panel that helps develop US nutritional guidelines has significant ties to big agriculture, ultra-processed food companies, pharmaceutical companies and other corporate organizations with a significant stake in the process’s outcome.

The revelation is part of a new report from US Right to Know, a government transparency group that looked for ties to corporate interests among the 20-member panel of food and nutrition experts that makes recommendations for updating the US government’s official dietary guidelines.

It found nine members had ties to Nestlé, Pfizer, Coca-Cola, the National Egg Board and other prominent food lobby groups, among others. The findings raise questions about whether the panel is looking out for Americans’ health or corporate profits, and “erodes confidence in dietary guidelines”, said Gary Ruskin of US Right to Know.

“Millions of Americans’ lives are affected by this report and it’s crucial that the report tell the truth to American people and it’s not degraded into another sales pitch for big food and big pharma,” he said.

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[–] Silverseren@kbin.social 84 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (4 children)

I would like more details on what "ties" means, since US Right To Know is a well known pseudoscience and fearmongering group, pushing anti-vaccine nonsense among other things. It doesn't help that "big agriculture, ultra-processed food companies, pharmaceutical companies and other corporate organizations" is ridiculously broad.

Yes, people on a food and nutrition panel are going to have some tie to...food and nutrition as a field. That's not a surprising statement.

And how they are connected to the specific companies listed needs explaining, since the US Right To Know group has in the past claimed that any form of email conversation or a company donating to a university someone works at counts as ties.

[–] stolid_agnostic@lemmy.ml 12 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for this context.

[–] Silverseren@kbin.social 17 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

They're one of the groups with a long history going back decades of fearmongering about biotechnology. Since I'm a molecular biologist (and active in the skeptic and scientific communication areas), I've known about them for a while.

They're closely tied with the Organic Consumer's Association, which is even more insane on the pseudoscience, pushing things like chemtrails.

[–] stolid_agnostic@lemmy.ml 2 points 10 months ago

They make ya gay dontchano.

[–] NewAgeOldPerson@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

A rational view is much appreciated. Though I'm usually calm, sometimes the urge to go *Pitchfork!" gets to us all. This was my moment until I saw your top comment.

[–] pete_the_cat@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Regardless of that, we all know that snack food companies don't have the public's health in their best interest.

[–] Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

What about Big Egg though

[–] pete_the_cat@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

They're in cahoots with Big Bacon, Big Cereal and Big Dairy in order to inform you about "a balanced nutritional breakfast"!

[–] speff@disc.0x-ia.moe 1 points 10 months ago

I put a link to their report in my comment - here's another reference, go to page 8. I see nothing in the report indicating that the people listed are still working for the companies accused in the article.

[–] cmbabul@lemmy.world 36 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I wish I could be shocked and horrified but this just seems like par for the course at this point

[–] Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I thought this was common knowledge.

[–] AlwaysNowNeverNotMe@kbin.social 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'm honestly astonished that it was less than half.

[–] pete_the_cat@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

9 had strong ties, but 4 had moderate or loose ties, so it's more like 65%.

[–] speff@disc.0x-ia.moe 16 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

No way... people who are experts in the food/health industry are involved with giving dietary advice? The horror.

Of course there isn't a link to the reports, so I have to go looking for it. Anyway here's the report. PDF - page 8 for the results. I spot-checked a few of them - the conflicts of interest I saw was in the form of companies sponsoring research done. ...which is pretty much how the majority of research gets done I believe..

Also I see coca-cola referenced ONCE as a "possible" COI

Position in industry-sponsored conferences: Dr. Booth was selected to speak at a conference sponsored by Bayer, Coca-Cola, and Abbott, among other industry actors

yet this article seems to deem it alright to put it as the posterboy image and list it prominently among other unpopular company names. Also they have to link to their boogeyman reporting about aspartame. You can see where HN tore it apart here.

This is why I hate news nowadays. I could've made some good food in the past 20 minutes on a nice Saturday, but instead I wasted time finding out a guardian article was bullshit.

[–] money_loo@1337lemmy.com 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Well see, your problem is you’re fact checking things and reading the article.

[–] penquin@lemm.ee 3 points 10 months ago

This used to be all "conspiracies" and some folks got picked on for pointing this shit out. It turned out that there is no such thing as "conspiracies", literally everything you hear is real. It's all a giant mob. They look out for each other. Who gives a fuck about people, as long as their pockets are lined up.

[–] PugJesus@kbin.social -1 points 10 months ago

Regulatory capture is out of control.

[–] bignate@discuss.tchncs.de -1 points 10 months ago (2 children)

You think they became corrupt after they got the position or did they get the position because they were corrupt?

[–] RampageDon@lemmy.ml 0 points 10 months ago

Mix of both. Some probably got paid to go there and lobby for said company or product. Others are probably thinking of potential jobs for after. We all know private sectors always pay more than government jobs.