SACN Faces Criticism Over Food Industry Connections

Over half of the experts on the UK government's nutrition advisory council have ties with the food sector ().

Freelance writer Sophie Borland, says “At least 11 out of the 17 members of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) have financial ties with companies manufacturing sugar, including Nestle, Tate & Lyle, and Unilever, the largest ice cream producer in the world.”

“At least six of the eleven members of SACN's subgroup on maternal and child nutrition have links with food companies, such as formula milk brands and baby food manufacturers.”

According to Borland, the SACN is an important unit of individuals designated as unbiased specialists to advise the government, which shapes the policy. Since its establishment in 2000, it has provided well-known recommendations on vitamin D supplements, breastfeeding, and daily consumption of salt and sugar.

However, there is concern that there were no proper efforts previously made to stop the rise in obesity and food-related illnesses by either SACN or previous governments that reviewed its suggestions.

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‘After two decades of SACN's work, diet-related diseases in the UK have surged, questioning its effectiveness. #SACN #obesity #conflictofinterest #medindia’

SACN Members Industry Ties with Unilever Nestlé and More

The BMJ looked at the interests declared by SACN members – in publicly available documents published on the government website – within the past three years. Among them is David Mela, a retired senior scientist from Unilever, who has done consultancy work for Unilever, Tate and Lyle, Coca-Cola’s Israel franchise CBC Israel, and Cargill, which produces cocoa and chocolate products among other things.

Another member, Julie Lovegrove, is chair of an expert group at the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Europe, whose member companies include Pepsico, Cadbury’s US owner Mondelez, and General Mills, the American firm behind Cheerios and Haagen Dazs.

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Concerns Over SACN Integrity as Experts Call for Review

Members of SACN’s Maternal and Child Nutrition subgroup include Ann Prentice, a council member of the Nestle Foundation, and Marion Hetherington who has undertaken work for Danone and baby food brand Ella’s Kitchen, the latter on an unpaid basis. The group’s chair, Ken Ong, has also received research funding from Mead Johnston Nutrition, which makes formula milk.

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) responded on behalf of SACN and all members named in this article, saying SACN members are required to declare any potential conflicts of interest annually – and new ones at the first appropriate committee meeting, which are included in the minutes and published on the SACN website.

It added: “No members of the committee are directly employed by the food and drink industry, and all must act in the public interest and to be independent and impartial.”

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SACN Industry Conflicts and Calls for Independence in Nutrition Advice

But Chris van Tulleken, associate professor at University College London and author of a best-selling book on ultra-processed food, says: “Even small financial conflicts affect behavior and beliefs in subtle or unconscious ways,” while Rob Percival, head of policy at the Soil Association, says: “We’re concerned that the committee and its integrity might be undermined by those ties to the food industry.”

Experts tell The BMJ the makeup of SACN needs to be reviewed in light of members’ ties to the food industry. However, Kat Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, says these ties are partly a result of the lack of money for relevant research.

Alison Tedstone, the former chief nutritionist for Public Health England, also suggests that refusing to allow experts with industry ties on SACN would “diminish” its expertise and could delay future legislation.

Yet Van Tulleken insists: “Despite two decades of work from a conflicted SACN there has been an explosion of suffering and death from diet-related disease in the UK so I don’t think it’s credible to claim that the committee has been very effective."

“There are some excellent independent experts but they are a minority and in my view, their work has been hampered by conflicts of interest with the industry that has created this health crisis. SACN must become independent of the food industry.”

Reference:

UK government’s nutrition advisers are paid by world’s largest food companies, BMJ analysis reveals - (https:www.bmj.com/content/386/bmj.q1909)

Source-Eurekalert

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