Thread by @garyruskin

Our new study is out: “The corporate capture of the nutrition profession in the USA: the case of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,” with @acarriedo, Ilana Pinsky, Eric Crosbie & @MIALONMelissa, via Public Health Nutrition #PHN @NS_Publications
cambridge.org/core/journals/…

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is “the world's largest organization of nutrition and dietetics practitioners”. Their mission is to “Accelerate improvements in global health and well-being through food and nutrition”.

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications Our study is the result of a five-year investigation of thousands of internal Academy documents @USRightToKnow obtained via public records requests. It reveals the Academy accepted more than $15 million from corporations and organizations in the years 2011 and 2013-2017. #FOIA

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow Top corporate contributors to the Academy in 2011 & 2013-2017: Nat'l Dairy Council $1,496,912; Conagra $1,414,058; Abbott Nutrition $1,246,389; Abbott Labs $824,110; PepsiCo $486,335; Coca-Cola $477,577; Hershey $368,032; General Mills $309,733. More $$$ info in the paper.

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow Here are the Academy’s tax records showing the corporate contributions:
6/16-5/17
usrtk.org/wp-content/upl…

6/15-5/16 
usrtk.org/wp-content/upl…

6/14-5/15 
usrtk.org/wp-content/upl…

6/13-5/14
usrtk.org/wp-content/upl…

6/11-5/12
usrtk.org/wp-content/upl…

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow Despite the astonishing conflict of interest, the Academy invested its own funds in ultra-processed food company stock. Its investment portfolio in January 2015 included $244,036 in stock holdings in Nestle S.A. and $139,545 in PepsiCo. 
usrtk.org/wp-content/upl…

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow The Academy’s foundation also invested in ultra-processed food company stock. In June 2013, its investments included $209,472 in stock holdings in Nestle S.A and $125,682 in PepsiCo.
usrtk.org/wp-content/upl…

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow That the Academy was a part owner of Nestle and PepsiCo belongs in the conflicts of interest hall of fame.🏆

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow The Academy appears to have allowed quid pro quo purchases of “rights and benefits” by its corporate sponsors. usrtk.org/wp-content/upl…

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow Our study found “striking similarities” between the Academy and “other cases of institutions captured by corporations, such as ILSI and the Global Energy Balance Network, orchestrated by the soft drink industry to promote its commercial agenda in scientific institutions.”

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow Although the Academy professes its “commitment to transparency” and “to accountability through transparency,” it does not disclose how much money each corporate donor gives, or what they may get in return. eatrightpro.org/leadership/aca…

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow In 2022, the Academy’s corporate sponsors include the National Confectioners Association (represents the candy industry), Tate & Lyle (manufactures sucralose, an artificial sweetener of dubious safety) usrtk.org/sweeteners/suc…
eatrightpro.org/about-us/adver…

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow Other Academy sponsors include Bayer Crop Science, which makes pesticides like Roundup, whose active ingredient, glyphosate, was classified by IARC as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” usrtk.org/pesticides/gly…

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow The Academy’s “premier sponsor” is Abbott. In May, after Abbott’s baby formula recall, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf called Abbott’s Michigan baby formula plant “egregiously unsanitary” and “shocking.” cnbc.com/2022/05/25/wat…

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow The Academy has lax rules about conflicts of interest. For example, it doesn't require its leadership to disclose all of its conflicts of interest, including how much money its board members receive from working for or consulting for food or chemical companies, or #PR firms.

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow The @UCSF Industry Documents Library @industrydocs will make the Academy’s internal documents available to the public for free on the Internet. There are lots of fascinating nuggets within. I hope you’ll check them out. industrydocuments.ucsf.edu

@acarriedo @MIALONMelissa @NS_Publications @USRightToKnow @UCSF @industrydocs Our fact sheet on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is here:
usrtk.org/ultra-processe…