For years now, I have been hearing about the food industry\u2019s influence on the annual conference of the American Dietetic Association \u2014 the nation\u2019s largest gathering of nutrition professionals\u2013with some 7,000 registered dietitians in attendance. Last month, I witnessed it for myself and discovered the corporate takeover by Big Food was worse than I even imagined.
\nThe top-paying sponsors, whom ADA called \u201cpartners,\u201d were Coca-Cola, Aramark, the National Dairy Council, and Hershey (their \u201cCenter for Health and Nutrition\u201d \u2013 really). \u201cPremier sponsors\u201d included PepsiCo, Mars, and General Mills.
\nThe exhibit hall seemed more like a processed food trade show than a nutrition conference. I saw very few booths with actual information, apart from that being peddled by the likes of Nestle, Kraft, and McDonald\u2019s, along with (of course), ubiquitous product samples, tastings, and myriad swag. (Oddly, Monsanto\u2019s booth featured its branded, soy-based lip balm.)
\nBut the worst cooptation came during the \u201ceducational sessions,\u201d which should have been off limits to marketing. Numerous panels were hosted by industry players, including, \u201cDairy Innovations,\u201d brought to you by (surprise!) the National Dairy Council, which also hosted a media-only session, as did others.
\n\u201cCulinary\u201d demos were offered by cooking experts such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Hershey, and McNeil (maker of the fake sugar, Splenda). For attending several \u201cExpo Impact Sessions,\u201d described by ADA as \u201cscientific and evidenced-based,\u201d RDs could even earn continuing educational units. Who better to teach, \u201cAre Sugars Toxic: What\u2019s Wrong with Current Research?\u201d than the Corn Refiners Association? I attended a silly session called \u201cSnacking and the 2010 Dietary Guidelines\u201d brought to me by the largest snacking experts in the nation, Frito-Lay, who also had a huge booth touting their deceptively-labeled \u201cnatural\u201d products, nearby the monstrous booth hosted by parent company PepsiCo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For years now, I have been hearing about the food industry\u2019s influence on the annual conference of the American Dietetic Association \u2014 the nation\u2019s largest gathering of nutrition professionals\u2013with some 7,000 registered dietitians in attendance. Last month, I witnessed it for myself and discovered the corporate takeover by Big Food was worse than I even … <\/p>\n