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.
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.
Thanks for this context.
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.
They make ya gay dontchano.
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.
Regardless of that, we all know that snack food companies don’t have the public’s health in their best interest.
What about Big Egg though
They’re in cahoots with Big Bacon, Big Cereal and Big Dairy in order to inform you about “a balanced nutritional breakfast”!
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.