Michele Simon — president of Eat Drink Politics and author of a 2013 report on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Big Food ties — has published a new must-read report that reveals similar conflicts of interest within the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA).
Among the report’s findings:
- “Corporate sponsors of DAA include Meat and Livestock Australia, Nestlé, Unilever, Dairy Australia, and the Egg Nutrition Council;
- Meat and Livestock Australia is a sponsor of DAA’s “Australia Healthy Weight Week”;
- Nestlé Nutrition Institute funds the DAA “Emerging Researcher Award”;
- McDonald’s and the Australian Heart Foundation promoted free “Deli Choices Wraps” at DAA’s annual meeting;
- DAA official spokespeople include the director of communications and public affairs at Kellogg’s and the nutrition manager for PepsiCo Australia;
- DAA spokesperson Alan Barclay published disputed data claiming lower sugar consumption during rising obesity rates (“the Australian Paradox”) and was paid by Coca-Cola to present his research;
- DAA stripped a dietitian of her earned credential allegedly for speaking out against these sorts of conflicts of interest.”
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