Politics of Food

The Dairy Council and the Sugar Association help sponsor the American Dietetic Association and their fact sheets... What??  First, perhaps the most striking thing to me from this reading was the amount of interest groups/food related groups, associations, councils, etc. that exist.  We know the big companies and contributors, but the amount that still feed into the system is exhausting to try and comprehend, and all with their own agenda.  It actually hurts my brain to think about.

On one hand, the fact that most of the information we are receiving about nutrition from federal agencies and other sources is undoubtedly tainted with the pressures or interests of whatever food sellers/companies are behind it is unsettling.  But on the other hand, when thinking about research and the nutrition field, a lot of good work that has been facilitated by some financial contribution from companies or associations would not have been possible without their economic input.  It truly is a double-edged sword. Is there any instances anyone can think of that a food selling entity has done something/contributed to the general public knowing it would be detrimental to them or would not boost their profits in some way?  Imposing influence on stakeholders to make their products look better and not be completely against them helps them, but so does moderately contributing to projects/research that have the hopes to find information that improves health, because then they look good in the public eye.  Would the food industry be able to exist the way it does without all of this political tension or is it a necessary evil?