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[CrankyJay]

This is a highly disturbing read.

One recent Friday afternoon, in a Mariott Hotel ballroom in Pomona, California, I watched two women skeptically evaluate their McDonald's lunches. One peered into a plastic bowl containing a salad of lettuce, bacon, chicken, cheese, and ranch dressing. The other arranged two chocolate chip cookies and a yogurt parfait on a napkin. "Eww," she said, gingerly stirring the layers of yogurt and pink strawberry goop. The woman with the salad nodded in agreement, poking at a wan chicken strip with her plastic fork.

When I asked how they were liking their lunches, both women grimaced and assured me that they "never" go to McDonald's. So why were they eating it today? Well, they didn't really have a choice. The women were registered dietitians halfway through day two of the annual conference of the California Dietetic Association (CDA). They were hoping to rack up some of the continuing education credits they needed to maintain their certification. McDonald's, the conference's featured sponsor, was the sole provider of lunch. "I guess it's good to know that they have healthier options now," said the woman with the salad.

Cheerful reps at the Hershey's booth passed out miniature cartons of chocolate and strawberry milk.

As I wandered the exhibition hall, I saw that McDonald's wasn't the only food company giving away freebies. Cheerful reps at the Hershey's booth passed out miniature cartons of chocolate and strawberry milk. Butter Buds offered packets of fake butter crystals. The California Beef Council guy gave me a pamphlet on how to lose weight by eating steak. Amy's Naturals had microwave brownies. The night before, Sizzler, California Pizza Kitchen, Boston Market, and other chain restaurants had hosted a free evening buffet for conference-goers: "Local Restaurant Samplings for Your Pleasure."

And that wasn't all. The sessions—the real meat and potatoes of the conference—had food industry sponsors as well. The Wheat Council hosted a presentation about how gluten intolerance was just a fad, not a real medical problem. The International Food Information Council—whose supporters include Coca-Cola, Hershey, Yum Brands, Kraft, and McDonald's—presented a discussion in which the panelists assured audience members that genetically modified foods were safe and environmentally sustainable. In "Bringing Affordable Healthier Food to Communities," Walmart spokespeople sang the praises of (what else?) Walmart.

After lunch, I attended "Sweeteners in Schools: Keeping Science First in a Controversial Discussion." Sponsored by the Corn Refiners Association, whose members produce and sell high-fructose corn syrup, it included a panel composed of three of the trade group's representatives. The panelists bemoaned some schools' decision to remove chocolate milk from their cafeteria menus. Later, one panelist said that she'd been dismayed to learn that some schools had banned sugary treats from classroom Valentine's Day parties, which "could be a teachable moment for kids about moderation." The moderator nodded in agreement, and added, "The bottom line is that all sugars contain the same calories, so you can't say that there is one ingredient causing the obesity crisis." The claim was presented as fact, despite mounting scientific evidence that high-fructose corn syrup prompts more weight gain than other sugars.

Full article: Mother Jones

 

[ronito]

 

[lethial]

I'm not surprised. I've gone to conferences in an unrelated industry and it's somewhat like that. I don't find it disturbing. Unless the conference picks and chooses who is sponsoring, it's whoever has the fattest wallet.

 

[happypup]

I think I am more disturbed by the fact that I am not surprised. Obviously healthy eating can include things like chocolate milk and a Big Mac, but the attempt to pander to people whose job is to help people who very likely have a problem because they cannot handle the same products the panderers are schilling is pretty messed up.

 

[CrankyJay]

I'm not surprised. I've gone to conferences in an unrelated industry and it's somewhat like that. I don't find it disturbing. Unless the conference picks and chooses who is sponsoring, it's whoever has the fattest wallet

I guess it's a little bit of both?

Later, I asked conference spokeswoman Pat Smith whether she thought it was fair to present such a one-sided discussion. She claimed that the sponsors did not influence any of the content in the program. "We like to think that our dietitians have a thought process and that we are presenting them with what is out there," she said. "They need to make their own decisions on what they have listened to and apply that to their client base."

"But it's hard to make a decision if you're only hearing one side of the story," I countered.

She told me that she hadn't known beforehand that the Corn Refiners panel would be composed entirely of its own representatives. And yet, when I asked her how the panel was chosen, she explained that it was approved by a committee. She also confirmed that the Corn Refiners had paid for the panel, but she declined to say how much. (She had previously declined me press credentials for the conference, explaining that the CDA would have its own journalists covering the event.)

Simon also learned that in 2012, Nestlé paid $47,200 for its 2,500-square-foot display in the exhibition hall at the annual AND conference, and PepsiCo paid $38,000 for 1,600 square feet. The academy's position papers, she noted, state that its sponsors do not influence its positions on controversial issues. And yet it often takes a pro-industry stance. When New York City was considering a ban on sales of oversized sodas, for example, the academy opposed it.

 

[FallingEdge]

Why call out steak? I don't see anything wrong with that.

 

[explodet]

Ooh, Corn Refiners! Makers of Refined Corn!
How fancy!

 

[Celegus]

The food industry is a horrifying, horrifying place. Glad I don't eat 90% of the stuff other people do.

 

[Shake Appeal]

I can tell you that when I cut HFCS out of my diet (but not cane sugar), the heartburn I was feeling on a daily basis disappeared overnight. Take that, corn 'refiners'.

 

[perryfarrell]

Disgusting.

Goes to show that once gov't or academia is not involved, it's just 'everything goes.'

But 'nutritionist organization' seems to suggest they think they have some academic credibility...

 

[Esch]

This article is just so American, haha.

 

[codhand]

The Wheat Council hosted a presentation about how gluten intolerance was just a fad, not a real medical problem.

agree.

yes i know about celiacs, everyone else tho?

 

[ThreePiMatt]

Why call out steak? I don't see anything wrong with that.

Yeah. A steak from a grass fed/finished cow is a great source of protein and good fats.

 

[kirblar]

agree.

yes i know about celiacs, everyone else tho?

I have a massively bad reaction to the large amounts of fructose contained in it.

 

[Stet]

I have a massively bad reaction to the large amounts of fructose contained in it.

Fructose in what?

 

[perfectchaos007]

End the corn subsidies, and we'll get real sugar back in our foods.

 

[TheExodu5]

Why call out steak? I don't see anything wrong with that.

If sustainability was one of their concerns, then they're right to call out steak.

 

[marrec]

I can tell you that when I cut HFCS out of my diet (but not cane sugar), the heartburn I was feeling on a daily basis disappeared overnight. Take that, corn 'refiners'.

Now HFCS causes heartburn too?!

 

[Azih]

I'm not surprised. I've gone to conferences in an unrelated industry and it's somewhat like that. I don't find it disturbing. Unless the conference picks and chooses who is sponsoring, it's whoever has the fattest wallet.

How is that not disturbing? Conferences meant to educate nutritionists should be about science, not sponsored propaganda.