A great read on this subject is Marion Nestle’s book Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants an in-depth look at the interconnections between the food industry and the government agencies that we trust for dietary guides such as the food pyramid. For now, let’s examine one excerpt that gives a pretty good picture of what the book is about. Marion Nestle is discussing her experiences when she worked for the Public Health Service during the Reagan administration, while managing the editorial production of the Surgeon General’s Report on Nutrition and Health in 1986.
“My first day on the job, I was given the rules: No matter what the research indicated, the report could not recommend “eat less meat” as a way to reduce intake of saturated fat, nor could it suggest restrictions on intake of any other category of food. In the industry-friendly climate of the Reagan administration, the producers of foods that might be affected by such advice would complain to their beneficiaries in Congress, and the report would never be published… ‘Eat less sugar’ sent sugar producers right to Congress, but that industry could live with ‘choose a diet moderate in sugar.’” (3)
It’s not surprising then that the public feels caught in a conflict of interests. There is an obvious contradiction between the way the government acts and its stated goals. For example, Nestle says that the two goals of the USDA are “to promote agribusiness and to advise the public about diet and health” (p. 368), two goals that seem to oppose each other. And when it comes down to it, do you think the government will stay on your side, or give in to the pressure of lobbying companies offering campaign money and threatening lawsuits? Historically, let’s just say that the public doesn’t stand a chance.
For example, in 2005, the USDA publically stated that it would not enforce its own ruling regarding the sale of junk foods in public schools. The rule had originally stated that schools could not sell “food of minimal nutritional value” during mealtimes in the cafeteria. However, when pressured to enforce it, the USDA backed down, and wouldn’t give a reason for their actions. Interestingly, this happened about one year after Bush had told voters that he wanted to help solve childhood obesity, while accepting campaign money from Coca-Cola, Kraft food, Nestle Co., and Florida Crystals Corp., a top U.S. sugar producer. This doesn’t prove that the USDA has been bought out, but it does raise some unsettling questions such as, “Why won’t the USDA enforce its own rulings?” And, “What effect do campaign donations have on the president’s actions?” Finally, if the USDA won’t enforce their rulings, then what value does it have as a governing body?
It’s time for the public to demand that our government agencies cater to us. Measures need to be put in place to ensure corporate neutrality in federal dietary agencies. Until that happens, the public has to take matters into their own hands and find out for themselves what they should be eating, and what they are being told to eat. Books like Nestle’s Food Politics can be a good place to start for people to learn to read between the lines in government-suggested nutrition.
For more information, check out Marion Nestle's blog at www.foodpolitics.com.
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