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Corporate Interests in Food

Main Question
How much of an effect do corporations and councils have on medical/dietary research and public policy?

Sub Questions

  1. If they do have a large effect, what does this say about the scientific process?
  2. How can research come up with such differing conclusions about the same thing? For example, the National Dairy Council and the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have very different conclusions.
  3. If many different conclusions (good and bad) can be drawn from the same research, should we ever trust "research conclusions" that we see in the news or elsewhere as they are only part of the picture and can be misleading?
  4. When research is opposing with other research or our own experiences, who or what should we trust?

Comments

michael,

a HUGE influence- even research emerging from educational institutions like universities are biased as the research is often funded by food companies. same the USDA pyramid (remember the USDA wants to help farmers as well as offer dietary advice- conflicting goals!)
check out the book 'food politics' by marion nestle. gives a great overview of what's really involved in the process.

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