Today, we bring you a “can you believe it?” moment from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics time capsule (March, 1993), via The Chicago Tribune:
“McDonald’s Corp. defended its new “food fundamentals program” for children against charges that some of its claims are misleading. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the chain for what the physicians’ group alleges is false nutritional advertising.
The group, which attracted publicity last fall when it said milk should not be fed to children regularly, said the McDonald’s program falsely implies that meat helps build bigger muscles. McDonald’s said it devised the educational and advertising package with the American Dietetic Association, using the Agriculture Department’s food-guide pyramid.”
We share this to provide historical context of the Academy’s partnerships with the food industry, as it helps explain how this partnership model has been entrenched into the very fabric of the Academy.
Despite what may seem like an insurmountable task to some, Dietitians for Professional Integrity is committed to its advocacy efforts and will soon be speaking one-on-one with Academy leadership about our concerns.
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