Full Measure After Hours: Dietitians’ Group Accepting Money From Unhealthy Food Industry (From the Archives) Release Date: March 13, 2025

Introduction to Alleged Conflicts of Interest

In this archived edition of Full Measure After Hours, host Cheryl Akison delves into the troubling allegations surrounding the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Akison raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest within the organization, questioning whether the advice and guidelines promoted by the world's largest group of registered dietitian nutritionists are being influenced by funding from the unhealthy food industry.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Official Response

Before exploring the watchdog report, Akison presents the Academy's defense against the allegations:

• Corporate Sponsorship Guidelines: The Academy asserts that it adheres to strict guidelines when accepting corporate sponsorships. “When it has corporate sponsors, they follow strict guidelines that the sponsor's vision and mission must align with the Academy's vision, mission and strategic goals,” Akison reports (00:52).

• Editorial Independence: The group emphasizes that it maintains full editorial control over any content bearing its name or logo. “The Academy does not endorse any company brand or company products that it maintains final editorial control and approval of all contents and materials bearing the Academy's name or logo,” states Akison (02:15).

• Separation from Brand Promotion: They claim a clear delineation between the Academy’s messaging and any promotional material from sponsors.

US Right to Know Investigation Overview

Cheryl Akison introduces Gary Ruskin, Executive Director of US Right to Know, a watchdog organization focused on public health and environmental issues. Ruskin provides an overview of their extensive investigation:

• Scope of Investigation: US Right to Know examined approximately 80,000 pages of internal documents from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

• Funding Sources: Ruskin clarifies, “05:11 “Well, it comes from a bunch of foundations, mostly some individuals. We accept no corporate funds.”

Key Findings of the Investigation

Corporate Contributions and Investments

Ruskin reveals that the Academy accepted around $15 million from various industry players over five years, including:

• Major Contributors: National Dairy Council, ConAgra (processed foods), Abbott Nutrition, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Hershey, General Mills, Kellogg, and pesticide manufacturer Bayer Crop Science.

• Investments in Unhealthy Food Companies: The Academy held stocks in companies like PepsiCo and Nestlé, with Ruskin highlighting, “07:46 … they had stock in ultra processed food companies, including PepsiCo and Nestlé.”

• Significant Industry Influence: These contributions raise concerns about the impartiality of the Academy's nutritional guidelines, especially amidst public health crises like obesity and diabetes epidemics.

Conflicts of Interest Among Officials

The investigation identified several Academy officials with ties to the food industry:

• Hope Warshaw: A leader within the Academy who formerly wrote for the Washington Post and consulted for the Calorie Control Council, an artificial sweetener PR group. “08:15 … she consulted for the Calorie Control Council, which is an artificial sweetener PR group.”

• Other Ties: Affiliations with public relations firms and agribusiness companies further exemplify potential conflicts.

Impact on Nutrition Guidelines

Ruskin argues that the Academy's funding sources may influence their stance on certain foods:

• Omission of Dietary Restrictions: While the Academy advises against “added sugars” and “junk food,” it stops short of more stringent recommendations, aligning with the interests of their corporate sponsors. “07:38 … what they don't say is don't eat added sugars and don't eat junk food and don't eat candy.”

Impact and Implications of Conflicts of Interest

Ruskin emphasizes the harmful effects of these conflicts:

• Public Health Consequences: The influence of ultra-processed food companies is linked to rising rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

• Industry Power: These corporations wield significant influence through advertising, public relations, lobbying, and campaign contributions, often shaping public policy and health guidelines to their advantage. “11:24 They're incredibly powerful. They have so many ways of affecting policy and affecting people…”

Recommendations and Public Takeaways

Ruskin suggests actionable steps to address the issue:

• Demand Transparency: The Academy must cease accepting funds from ultra-processed food industries to maintain integrity. “11:46 … the Academy of Nutrition Dietetics has got to go clean and stop taking the corrupt money from the ultra processed food industry.”

• Seek Alternative Sources: The public is encouraged to seek nutrition information from sources free from industry conflicts of interest. “12:12 … people need to find better sources of information, sources that do not have conflicts of interest.”

Conclusion and Further Resources

In wrapping up the discussion, Akison directs listeners to additional resources:

• Access to Documents: The US Right to Know has made the Academy’s internal documents publicly available at usrighttoknow.org, allowing individuals to review the findings firsthand.

• Academy’s Response: For the Academy’s rebuttals and further statements, listeners can visit eatrightpro.org and search for relevant articles.

Akison encourages the audience to conduct their own research and make informed decisions regarding nutritional guidance and dietary advice.

Notable Quotes:

• Gary Ruskin on Conflict of Interest: “07:06 … there's a sin of omission sort of thing. For example, when you look at what the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says about ultra processed food, what they say, what they don't say is don't eat added sugars and don't eat junk food and don't eat candy.”

• Ruskin on Financial Influence: “07:46 … the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics held stock in ultra processed food companies, including PepsiCo and Nestlé. So this is just off the charts when it comes to a conflict of interest.”

• Ruskin on Industry Power: “11:24 … they're incredibly powerful. They have so many ways of affecting policy and affecting people, whether it's advertising or public relations or lobbying or campaign contributions.”

For More Information:

• US Right to Know: usrighttoknow.org
• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: eatrightpro.org

This summary provides an in-depth overview of the podcast episode, capturing the essential discussions, findings, and recommendations regarding the alleged conflicts of interest within the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.