Documents mentioned in the report Published Monday in Public Health Nutritionis a peer-reviewed journal containing thousands of pages of Academy financial records, tax returns, and internal emails. They estimated that between 2011 and 2017, the organization received more than $4 million from food companies and industry groups, including the world’s largest producers of soda, sugar, candy, and ultra-processed foods such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. of donations collected. , Nestle, Hershey, Kellogg’s, Conagra.
The Academy not only received sponsorship money from major food companies, but also invested in food industry stocks.For example, the document states that in 2015 and 2016 the Academy was worth over $1 million In stock at PepsiCo, Nestle and JM Smucker.
The documents were obtained by the US Right to Know, an investigative group that has long been at odds with big food companies but had its own controversy.U.S. Right to Know Published on website They have accepted funding from the Organic Consumers Association, which has ties to the anti-vaccine movement.
academy has long been criticized It has confirmed partnerships with processed food companies, but did not disclose the full extent of its financial ties to the food industry.
In a statement, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics said the new report was inaccurate and misleading, and issued a stringent “prohibition of outside influence” to corporate sponsors and supporters. He said there are guidelines and principles.
“The Academy’s programs, leadership, decisions, policies and positions are not influenced by our sponsors,” the statement said. “The Academy’s procedures and formal agreements with outside organizations are designed to prevent undue corporate influence.”
The Academy said less than 9% of its funding came from sponsors, and less than 3% of it and its foundation’s investments were in food companies. I said yes.
Academy is a powerful force in nutrition. It boasts 112,000 qualified medical practitioners, including tens of thousands of registered dietitians and other nutrition professionals. Academy members lobby Congress on health issues and regularly participate in advisory committees that shape federal dietary guidelines for Americans.
While the Academy has faced criticism for its relationship with a major food company For years it has been a private organization and its sensitive financial records are protected from public scrutiny. ‘s Donna Martin used the school’s email for school-related matters and made those communications into the public domain.
US Right to Know says it spent five years obtaining more than 50,000 pages of documents, primarily through Freedom of Information Act requests.
These disclosures offer a glimpse of how the food industry has maintained close relationships with organizations and individuals who are supposed to advise consumers on healthy eating. Here’s what the report found:
- Many of the Academy’s biggest contributions from 2011 to 2017 came from the world’s largest producers of soda, sugar, candy, and ultra-processed foods. His Conagra, which owns brands such as Slim Jim, Duncan Hines, Reddi-wip, and Chef Boyardee, donated at least $1.4 million to the academy. PepsiCo funded her over $486,000, and Coca-Cola provided at least $477,000 for the Academy. Hershey donated approximately $368,000 to the academy, and Nestlé donated over $200,000 of his to the academy during this period.
- The Academy’s financial backers included sugar industry trade associations such as the Sugar Association and the Corn Refiners Association, as well as influential lobby groups in the soda, beef and dairy industries.
- The National Dairy Council is one of the Academy’s largest sponsors, donating at least $1.5 million between 2011 and 2017.
- of record shows The Academy acknowledged that a certain level of financial support gave contributors greater leverage. Donors, grantors, and supporters, on the other hand, were defined as those who made “charitable contributions with no expectation of commercial return.”
Martin, who was the group’s treasurer in 2014, dismissed ethical concerns about the investment in PepsiCo, according to an internal email, and said in a message to another Academy executive that the group would also invest in Coca-Cola. I suggested that there would be no problem.
“I personally like PepsiCo and have no problem with us owning it, but I wonder if someone will say something about it,” commented the Washington Post. Martin wrote.
“I am amazed.” Someone who’s supposed to be talking about healthy eating, how can you invest in a company that makes products that are ultra-processed and make people sick?”
The Academy said its sponsorship deals with Coca-Cola and Hershey ended in 2015, and its sponsorship with PepsiCo ended in 2016.
Today, the academy lists over 20 “supporters”. on that websiteFrom the Hass Avocado Board and Mushroom Council to Tate & Lyle, one of the world’s largest producers of high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners. Another supporter of the group is the National Confectioners Association, a candy industry trade and lobbying group. to that member Hershey, Mondelez International, Mars, and Jelly Belly Candy Company.
Questions about healthy eating? Email [email protected] I may answer your question in a future column.
