Question of the Month: Can We Trust the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics?
Is the information we’re getting unbiased?
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND)—the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals with over 100,000 credentialed dietitians—certainly has some sway in how Americans eat. But could it have a pro-industry voice?
According to an investigation published in Public Health Nutrition, AND has accepted millions of dollars from food, pharmaceutical and agribusiness companies; had policies to provide favors in return; and even holds stock in food companies including PepsiCo and Nestle which manufacture ultraprocessed foods.
The study was produced in part by U.S. Right to Know, a nonprofit investigative public health group that obtained tens of thousands of pages of internal Academy documents through state public records requests. The report says Academy accepted more than $15 million from corporate and organizational contributors including Coca-Cola Co. and General Mills Inc. in the years 2013–2017. In 2022, the Academy’s sponsors included the National Confectioners Association and Tate & Lyle, which makes the artificial sweetener Splenda.
In defense, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says the report is mostly opinion and biased. It says policies are not influenced by sponsorship money, less than 3% of investments are in food companies and Academy has never changed a position at the request of sponsors. Some of the corporate relationships highlighted in the paper have been terminated for several years now. There is also little evidence that individual dietitians are influenced remarkably by AND’s corporate relationships.
Are you concerned that this seemingly symbiotic relationship with food corporations can sway AND nutrition policies? Does this investigation diminish your confidence in the advice that individual dietitians provide? Should AND receive any funding from food, pharmaceutical and agribusiness companies? Should AND develop stronger guidelines for conflicts of interest and adhere to them? Do you agree with AND that this report is misleading and that industry does not influence their nutrition policy efforts? Send your answers to content@ideafit.com.
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Award–winning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.
