We spoke with Corinne Bush, the CEO of the American Nutrition Association, who told us that “The Compact excludes Certified Nutrition Specialists, fostering a monopolistic environment for those certified by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This effort fails to recognize the ability to address the nation’s chronic disease crisis by including equally qualified nutrition practitioners who possess diverse credentials after completing a rigorous program of education, examination and experience.”
The Compact could also jeopardize health coaches’ ability to practice for many of the same reasons. This is the opposite of what we should be doing. Many people don’t need pills or special diets—they need help managing their income to fit a healthy lifestyle, advice on where and how to exercise, etc. Eliminating the ability of health coaches to give nutrition advice jeopardizes their ability to continue to help patients with these important but often overlooked aspects of health.
The bottom line: if this Compact gains a head of steam, consumers will have fewer choices when they are looking for someone to help them get healthier. This is unacceptable simply from a philosophical viewpoint (a monopoly is only good for RDNs and the AND, not for consumers) but also due to more practical concerns—the cozy relationship between the AND, RDNs, and mega corporations that make the unhealthy ultra-processed foods and sugar-laden beverages that help make many of us so sick in the first place.
We reported on this conflict of interest in previous years when the AND partnered with Kraft. If you can believe it, Kraft Singles—the “cheese product” popular in school lunches—was the first product to boast the AND’s “Kids Eat Right” label. Perversely, dietitians sponsored by Coca-Cola were outspoken in recommending small cans of soda as snacks.
More recent investigations into the corporate ties of the AND revealed more of the same, demonstrating how the AND accepts millions of dollars from Big Food and Big Pharma, have themselves invested in ultra-processed food and drug companies, and how AND leaders have been employed by or consulted with multinational food and drug companies.
Contributors to the AND in past years include a who’s-who of the junk food industry, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, General Mills, Hershey, Kellogg USA, and the National Confectioner’s Association—the trade association for candy-makers.
It should come as no surprise that a 2022 study concluded that the AND has a “symbiotic relationship” with these corporate behemoths and, as such, acts as a “pro-industry voice in some policy venues, and with public positions that clash with AND’s mission to improve health globally.”
Given these extensive corporate ties, do we really want the AND to have MORE power over the practice of nutrition in this country?
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