The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics – the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, with over 100,000 credentialed dieticians, nutrition practitioners and students – is one of the most influential professional health associations in the U.S.

This fact sheet discusses the Academy’s relationship with ultra-processed food, beverage, pesticide and pharmaceutical corporations, including accepting contributions from and even investing in those companies. Evidence from the Academy’s own internal documents suggest the group serves up favors for their corporate sponsors at the expense of public health.

The Academy and its website eatright.org promote themselves as “your source for science-based food and nutrition information.” The group is seen as an authority in food policy-making and influences the development of the US dietary guidelines.

How reliable is the Academy’s advice on diet and nutrition?

The Academy has been repeatedly criticized for its close ties to ultra-processed food companies, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, General Mills and Kraft.