As a researcher focused on how science is used and misused in policy debates, I’ve seen more than my fair share of interference in (what should be) evidence-based decision making. But when I first dug into the details featured in our new report, Added Sugar, Subtracted Science, even I had to raise an eyebrow.
On rare occasion, events occur that provide us a glimpse into the thinking behind those involved in abuses of science. Newly released documents from a lawsuit between corn syrup interests and cane and beet sugar interests have done just that.
Studies increasingly point to the overconsumption of sugar as a major contributing factor in our country’s rising health risks for metabolic syndrome, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Photo: Shutterstock
“We can just bury the data”
The report released today pulls from these documents to illuminate how sugar interests have worked to misuse science in order to influence our food and health policies. They have attacked scientific research that is inconvenient to their bottom line, hired scientists to buy credibility, and paid academic scientists to carry their talking points. They have poured money into policy debates and misled decision makers about how sugar affects our health. There are many interesting details in the report and the documents themselves, but here’s a taste:
- Internal emails from the Sugar Association reveal that the group planned to mislead the public about sugar’s health impacts. In a memo, one employee included a bullet entitled, “question the existing science” with respect to sugar and health.
- In response to an inconvenient scientific paper, the Corn Refiners Association considered funding a counter study. But if that research didn’t confirm their position, one consultation wrote, “we can just bury the data.”
- In an effort to influence school nutrition rules, General Mills told the USDA that with the exception of dental issues, “sugar intake has not been shown to be directly associated with obesity or any chronic disease or health condition”—a claim that runs counter to the science implicating sugar in a variety of health problems, from obesity to heart disease.
Sugar interests challenge the FDA on an added sugars declaration on the nutrition facts label
I wish I could say these were all historical examples, but alas. In addition to the current food fight over school lunch, the FDA is now considering an update to the Nutrition Facts label on food packages that would require manufacturers to declare added sugars. If enacted, consumers could know how much sugar has been added to foods. But many producers of sugar and sugary products would prefer to avoid disclosing added sugars. And they are taking steps to prevent the FDA proposal from moving forward.
Last week, six trade groups—all with significant interests in sugar—sent a letter to the FDA offering to fund a study on label effectiveness, in an attempt to delay or stop implementation of the proposed label changes. Headed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, many food companies have already implemented a voluntary (and potentially misleading) labeling program, Facts Up Front.
These efforts are misguided. People have a right to know how much sugar has been added to their foods. And a labeling requirement could lead to improved health through changes in both consumer behavior and food producers using less sugar (think trans fat labeling success).
Beyond a sugar-coated food system
An added sugars declaration on the Nutrition Facts label would empower consumers with knowledge of how much sugar has been added to foods. Photo: iStock
On Thursday, I will be speaking at the FDA public meeting in support of an added sugar label. Already, health organizations from the National Alliance for Hispanic Health to the American Dental Association have written in support of the rule (and you can too). The American Diabetes Association asserted:
There is great confusion in the general public between sugars added to food during processing and naturally occurring sugars … Knowing how much added sugar a food or beverage contains is key in ensuring individuals are able to make dietary decisions to reduce their consumption.
In addition to understanding the science behind sugar’s adverse health impacts, I am also motivated by my personal experience with sugar consumption. Tomorrow, I finish my last day of the Fed Up Challenge—going sugar free for 10 days. I’ll cover this experience in detail in a future post, but the bottom line? Added sugars are hidden everywhere, and citizens seeking low-sugar diets are hard-pressed to find the information they need to make this healthier choice. As the film Fed Up shows, industry has worked hard to keep our sugar consumption high (and industry has worked to combat the film’s message too).
When I think about the food I eat and feed to my family, I want to be safe. I expect policies to protect me from any harm that food might do to me and importantly, I expect to know what those harms might be. The public has been kept in the dark for too long on the adverse health effects of sugar. Those who profit from our sugar over-consumption have worked to ensure this, but now is the time to push back.
Learn about sugar interests’ tactics, and then join me in asking the FDA to label added sugars. Incremental steps like this can help move us beyond a sugar-coated food system.