Earlier this week, The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) published an open letter to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) asking the government organization to stop its affiliation with The Coca Cola Company. From CSPI’s press release:

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute should not partner with Coca-Cola to raise awareness of heart disease among women…overweight and obesity are prime risk factors for heart disease, and the agency shouldn’t be bolstering the dismal reputation of the Coca-Cola Company, the world’s biggest manufacturer of obesigenic soft drinks

…Supermodel Heidi Klum is described on the government web site as the “Diet Coke heart health ambassador.”

…”Coke has long sought to affiliate with or co-opt health groups, and associate its brand with athletes and models. I fervently hope that NHLBI officials understand that letting Coke bask in their agency’s good reputation does American hearts far more harm than good.” read more…

What you need to know:

This is not the first nor last sponsorship of health organizations by the Coca Cola company. Just a few months ago we wrote about the $600,000 contribution to the American Association of Family Physicians, to be used “to  educate consumers about the role their products can play in a healthy, active lifestyle.” Yeah, right.

If you’re thinking, this is OK, Diet Coke does not contribute to obesity and heart disease, you may want to reconsider:

1. Our body gets confused by artificial sweeteners that may actually promote weight gain.
2. We’re “Infantilizing” our taste sense and as a result natural sweets like fruit aren’t as appetizing.
3. The long term health effects of artificial sweeteners are unclear.

While Coke is just one example, what we’re seeing is a generally accepted norm. Non-profit organizations, and even government bodies, have to accept money from the very corporations that contribute to the maladies they are trying to prevent. Crazy no?

You may argue and say that unlike cigarettes, no one food can kill you, and what about fun factor. Sure thing, but a company that deals in good vibes and lifestyle should stick to sponsoring music events and beach parties, not health and diet related associations.

Consider that even this country’s ultimate food and nutrition advisor – the American Dietetic Association – is sponsored by the likes of Coke and Mars. When I asked dietitians about this, some were agnostic while others pragmatically explained that there is no other way to fund research and educational activities that will ultimately benefit consumers.

Such is the state of affairs in America,  2010.

What to do at the supermarket:

It’s hard to quantify the compound effect of all these sponsorships, but you certainly can do your share to show you know better. Ignore the marketing messages on cans and boxes. Stick to the nutrition facts panel and ingredient lists of products you are considering. And specifically referring to soft drinks, whether sugary or non-caloric, did you know that you can save $500 for a family of four, just by switching to tap water?

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If there’s one key takeaway from the hit reality show “The Biggest Loser”, is that losing weight takes a lot of hard work. People need to readjust their entire life, both mentally, physically, and for some spiritually as well. A key success factor for the show’s contestants is trainer Jillian Michaels, who should should have known better than to get herself involved in some shady diet pill endorsement.

Now she’s being slapped with lawsuits because her Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Calorie Control supplements fail to suppress appetite and reduce weight. This despite the claims:

We all know if you want to lose weight, you need to reduce your caloric intake. It sounds simple, but the truth is, if it were easy, most of us wouldn’t be overweight in the first place. This is where Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Calorie Control™ comes in: it’s a proprietary formula specifically developed to restrict your caloric intake automatically. In other words, when you take this compound before main meals, you eat less… but the best part is, you won’t even know you are eating less. It’s like an automatic diet. What could be easier!

blah, blah, blah.

What you need to know:

The American Dietetic Association recommends getting all your nutrients from real food, not supplements. There is no magic or short cut to weight loss. All these pills are much less regulated than food, and after decades of advertisements for shady products, Americans should know better. So what threw people off this time? Celeb endorsement, of course.

If Jillian Michaels, who we’ve all come to admire and respect, put her name on the product, either

(a) it must actually do magic, or

(b) she simply got a boatload of money.

What do you think?

What to do at the supermarket:

The really easy way to start losing weight is to buy, prepare, and eat real food. Even easier, conceptually, is forgoing soft drinks, and switching to tap water. Your taste buds will slowly return to normal levels of sweetness identification. Your pocketbook will be $500 fuller (one year, family of 4), and you’ll have more to spend on fresh foods and vegetables.

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The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends we get the vitamins and minerals our bodies need directly from the source – food. This, in a position paper published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The 70,000 dietitian strong organization says:

the best nutrition-based strategy for promoting optimal health and reducing the risk of chronic disease is to wisely choose a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods.

However, to remain politically correct*, the ADA adds:

Additional nutrients from supplements can help some people meet their nutrition needs.

*The ADA is sponsored by food companies such as Coke and Pepsi, but also by Abbot Nutrition and McNeil Nutritionals (maker of VIACTIV Multi-Vitamins Soft Chews).

What you need to know:

The dietary supplement market is 25 Billion Dollars a year and growing 5% annually. Over half of Americans regularly use a multivitamin or supplement of some kind. Almost two thirds said they used a supplement in the past month. This is not surprising given that more than three-quarters of U.S. physicians (79%) and nurses (82%) recommend dietary supplements to their patients (more stats here).

Thank goodness the ADA is reminding us that the best source of nutrients is real food – plenty of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. While people with certain conditions may need to supplement, the truth is that many of us simply eat poorly. Popping a few pills a day seems like an easy enough solution – no slaving away in the kitchen and no battles over broccoli with the kids.

But beyond the nutrients we are familiar with, such as the A-Z vitamins and minerals, real foods provide thousands of  undiscovered and yet to be researched nutrients that help our bodies function and thrive.

What to do at the supermarket:

If you are a healthy person, there’s no reason your body shouldn’t thrive on real food (TV dinners and frozen pizza don’t count, nor do soft drinks). Try to buy a variety of fruits and vegetables. Educate yourself on legumes. Buy them in bulk and learn how to cook them.

If you are unsure of what do regarding your nutrient needs, best bet is to meet with a dietitian and get professional advice.

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Last month another brick in the stalwart battered wall of scientific and medical integrity in America was regretfully removed. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) signed a sponsorship deal with the Coca Cola Company to promote Coke’s products, more or less:

The Consumer Alliance is a program that allows corporate partners like The Coca-Cola Company to work with the AAFP to educate consumers about the role their products can play in a healthy, active lifestyle.

What exact role do sugar laden beverages such as Coca Cola, Vitamin Water, and others play in a healthy lifestyle?

None. You don’t need an educational program to figure that one out. True, a soda pop here and there won’t kill anybody, but you don’t need the Coca Cola company to tell you that. And your physician should be telling you to cut down on your consumption, not explain how to fit a six pack into your busy schedule.

The exact 6 figure sum paid to the AAFP was undisclosed. It was, at most, $999,999, but likely much less, and puts a $10 price tag on each of  AAFP 95,000 members. That’s a good deal for Coke, but for the doctors it doesn’t sound so great.

So why is this deal, just like Coke’s sponsorship of the American Dietetic Association, so infuriating?

Because the people at Coca Cola are so…nice.

Yes. on a personal level, Coke’s execs are lovely, personable, and amicable. So are the leaders of McDonald’s, Mars, and the rest of the junk food industry. But their companies have a slight image problem. It seems that the public has caught on to the fact that they are selling us crap, which in turn is making us sick. That nagging public concern is bad for business.

So all these amenable execs, which get paid handsomely because they are also very sharp business people, figured out a solution. —> Lets convince the public that we are not selling crap. Or not too much of it. And the little that we do is “fine in moderation”.

—> Better yet, lets find people who are the most trustworthy in consumers’ eyes, and have them tell our story. Enter the funding strapped dietitian organization and the AAFP. These organizations get to fill their coffers with much needed funds, and in turn acknowledge their newly found industry buddies.

Here’s what AAFP CEO Dr. Douglas Henley says:

…the deal won’t influence the group’s public health messages, [Coke] will have no control over editorial content. read more…

We STRONGLY DISAGREE.

It’s a question of human psychology more than anything else. On a personal level, once you get to know someone, talk with them, and then take lots of money from them, you are no longer objective. Your behavior changes because you don’t want to be rude towards your benefactor.

On an organizational scale, it’s not different at all. As Harvard Nutrition Professor Dr. Walter Willet said:

“Coca-Cola, like other sodas, causes enormous suffering and premature death by increasing the risks of obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, gout, and cavities. [The AAFP] should be a loud critic of these products and practices, but by signing with Coke their voice has almost surely been muzzled.”

Thankfully, a few brave physicians from Northern California agree, and about 20 of them have decided to quit the AAFP in protest.

What you need to know:

Unfortunately for us consumers, this is not the first or last case of companies swaying scientists into their camps. The next time you read about a scientific study and its results, ask yourself who funded it. If industry is behind the numbers, there’s a 400-800% increase in the likelihood that the results are favorable to the funder.

What to do at the supermarket:

While abstaining from soft drinks may be too hard for some people, try to gradually reduce your dependence on soft drinks. By switching to tap water, a family of 4 can save $500 a year and 10-15 lbs. of body weight per person.

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We’ve concluded a 4 day nutrition and food conference and expo (FNCE 2009) hosted by the American Dietetic Association. For a first time participant, such a convention may seem a bit overwhelming, but it does provide a great opportunity to learn about the current state of affairs in the world of nutrition and food.

Random observations:

1. The people. RDs are probably the nicest bunch of people one can get to know. That makes the participation in the event a real treat.

2. Conflict of Interest. The presence and influence of the food industry was pervasive and worrisome. From the moment one stepped into the conference center, she was greeted with huge signs thanking corporate sponsors such as Coca Cola, Unilever, and Mars. The logos of the sponsors were plastered on each of the swag bags the participants received at registration.

The conference is divided into many simultaneous educational sessions on various nutrition topics, as well as a food expo. Several of the educational sessions were also sponsored by food companies. For example, Coke sponsored a session entitled Children’s Dietary Recommendations:urban myths, parental perceptions, and scientific evidence. Guess what the speaker had to say: Artificial colors are fine, artificial sweeteners are fine, and sugar does not cause obesity.

Especially troubling was the fact that so many young RDs and students participate in the program and are ingrained to accept these conflicts of interest as matter of fact. If the American Dietetic Association stays this course, the public credibility of dietitians as a group will suffer. (See Smart Choices Program as just one example).

3. In moderation. We can’t count the number of time we’ve been told that snack A or drink B should be consumed in moderation. If we hear that word one more time, we’ll just drown somebody in a bucket full of “discretionary” calories. Whenever junk food processors are with their back with the wall, they pull their “it’s in fine in moderation” card. You know what – it’s not.

Here’s why – Each manufacturer of junk food or beverage is vying for the 10% discretionary calories a person can consume in a day. That works out to approximately 150 calories for a growing child. Unfortunately, a can of Coke is XXX. But is little Johnny “discretionating” with just that one can for a whole day? Heck no! What about the morning Sweetened cereal? And the potato chips for lunch? The sugar sweetened lunch milk? The afternoon cookies? And Jello for dessert? There is no moderation because too many manufacturers need to sell us too much crap.

4. State of Emergency. With the rising rate of obesity, one would have expected to feel a heightened sense of urgency at the conference. Perhaps we did not participate in the right lectures and presentations, but the overall atmosphere seemed to be business-as-usual.

That said, FNCE 2009 was a great learning experience and a wonderful opportunity to meet the folks working “in the trenches”. We look forward to next years conference in Boston.

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We’re attending the Food and Nutrition Conference of the American Dietetic Association in Denver this week. Many researchers and companies use the event to showcase their ingenuity. Aside from a large expo hall with tastings of (mostly) new snacks and beverages, the Poster Sessions at the far back end are an interesting place to wonder about.

Since Fooducate focuses on nutrition labeling, we found a presentation on an Affordable Nutrition Index by Washington University’s Prof. Adam Drewnowski quite interesting. In the past few years, Drewnowski  has developed a Nutrient Rich Scoring system which scores foods based on their positive and negative nutrient content. The new system add a twist by dividing the scores by the cost of the product.

So while the old system may have given blueberries a higher score than bananas (both are very good for you), under the new scoring, bananas fare better because they are much more affordable. Low sodium canned soup came out quite well too, and Campbell’s soup company was quick to jump on that bandwagon by adding its products to the index and publishing a press release.

The study shows that even on a lower budget, people can find healthier items that are also affordable. Which is good, because the propensity for obesity and its related health problems are directly linked to lower socio-economic status.

What to do at the supermarket:

Some of the easiest ways to save money in the supermarket while still eating healthfully are to buy produce in season, or frozen/canned, cut soft drinks out of your diet, limit the number of snacks you buy, and come prepared with a shopping list. More suggestions here.

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The American Dietetic Association’s annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo is coming up in a few weeks. FNCE 2009 will be held in Denver Oct 17-20, and as in previous years will draw thousands of dietitians, health professionals, and food companies from across the country.

If you are planning to attend or exhibit, I’ll be happy to meet you and discuss all things tasty, healthy, and fun.

If you can’t make it, please be sure to check in on this blog and on twitter. Fooducate will be blogging and twittering from the conference and expo. And if there’s something you’d like to check out, let me know.

The lineup this year is very promising.

Read more…

Dr. Eileen Kennedy, dean of Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition, is still convinced the Smart Choices front of package nutrition label is a good move. Dr. Kennedy is the chairman of the Smart Choices Program which recommends Froot Loops and Snackables as Smart choices. Unlike the representatives American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetic Association that backed off the program, she is standing her ground.

In a letter to her alumni, Dr. Kennedy makes the case for Smart Choices by pointing to 3 advantages:

1. Smart Choices is intended to improve food patterns at point of purchase – the super markets.

2. The program was tested prior to launch with consumers.

3. food companies who participate in the program have agreed to abandon their proprietary systems and adopt one system – the Smart Choices Program.

Here’s why the logic is  flawed, point by point:

1. Who said that Smart Choices will improve food purchase patterns? The only thing the program is guaranteed to improve is sales of products with the Smart Choices logo.

2. Testing and surveys can be crafted to get any answer the testers want.

3. The proprietary Smart Choices Program did away with PepsiCo’s SmartSpot and Kraft’s Sensible Solutions and created a unified system, but it’s not the only one out there. Several grocery chains have come out with their own systems, and then there’s NuVal too. So consumers are going to be just as confused as they have been before.

What to do at the supermarket:

Treat the Smart Choices, or any other claims and logos, as marketing speak. If you want to know about nutrition – look at the ingredient list and nutrition facts panel.

[Once again, hat tip to to Professor Marion Nestle's Food Politics Blog]

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The launch of food industry backed Smart Choices Seal,  a front of package label designed to inform shoppers of more nutritious products, has been very controversial. The criteria deciding which products are “better for you” were set by a panel of representatives from companies such as Kellogg’s, Con Agra and Kraft, as well as independent scientists from health organizations and Academia.

However, something strange must have happened in those criteria-setting meetings, if the result was a seal of approval for Froot Loops and other uber-sweet products. Fruit Loops is 41% sugar by weight, contains a rainbow of artificial colorings, and some trans-fat to boot.

This is the classic story of  the fox guard the hen house, or the cat watch over the cream. Public pressure, as well as media coverage that was less than friendly seem to have an effect. Change.org mounted an email campaign in which thousands of people wrote to the independents, asking that they rescind their support for the program:

Thanks to change.org activists and a lot of attention in the media and across the blogosphere, both the American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetes Association have had their names removed from the Smart Choices web site.

You might notice that Smart Choices hasn’t done much to publicize the fact that neither group endorses the new marketing ploy (let’s call it what it is shall we?). Both of the ADAs, it seems, understand that they can’t in good conscience be affiliated with any sort of labeling that calls Froot Loops healthy.

(Thank you Marion Nestle for the h/t)

What to do at the supermarket:

Smart Choices and other marketing shticks will always await consumers on the supermarket shelves. Not sure if a product is as good as it claims to be? Check the nutrition panel and the ingredient list. Still confused? Drop us a line, and we’ll try to help…

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Last week we wrote about a paper by Milbank Quarterly which found parallels in the behavior of the tobacco industry 50 years ago and the behavior of the food industry today. The authors of the paper did state that there are distinct differences as well (cigarettes are bad. Period. But almost no food can be categorized as just bad.)

It’s disappointing to read the response of the American Dietetic Association, basically siding with the food industry, and not the consumers whom it’s 70,000 dietitians serve.

Instead of stepping up to the plate and demanding a ban on marketing of junk food to kids, creating objective standards for defining what healthy foods are, and dismissing the industry’s “personal responsibility” schtick, Martin Yadrick, President of the American Dietetic Association had this to say:

“When it comes to public health, we have to focus on synergy,…Food labels, trans fat substitutions and many other recent changes have come about because everyone worked together and I think all those involved in these changes recognize that.”

In this regard, his views were broadly resonant with those expressed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association regarding industry’s efforts to move towards healthier formulations. The GMA said that industry had reformulated over 10,000 healthier products and would continue to play its part in tackling obesity.

read more from Food Navigator…

The response of GMA, touting the tiny efforts of the food industry to date,  is to be expected, they are well representing their constituents. But why is the ADA on the wrong side of the discussion?

To be fair, Mr. Yadrick did mention that industry funded studies tend to side with conclusions favorable to the funders, but he did not go as far as to explicitly condemn the practice. It would certainly help us consumers to know food research is not funded by the corporations that have vested interet in the results.

Come to think of it, how can you blame the ADA. Just look to find who pays it bills. Membership fees are not enough to cover the cost of ongoing activities. As a result, the organization has to accept sposnorships from…you guessed it, food corporations.

The Coca Cola Company, PepsiCo, Mars Company, Unilever, General Mills and Kellogg’s, to name the biggies.

In speaking with several RDs across the country, we have heard that these sponsorships are a source of great uncomfort to them, but heck, the membership dues are already quite high for someone living off of a dietitans salary.

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