A lot of times when you read new health info on the internet, you have to take it with a grain of salt.
Well Eric Lipton helps shed some new light on just how bad that can get with his piece at the NYT on the shadowy showdown between the Sugar and Corn Industries and their operators (which hopefully doesn’t include the Rutgers work on Soda).
The digest reads abit like one of those old “Spy Vs. Spy” cartoons, with each player financing non-connected deniable public-health-interest groups, scientists and the papers they produced, in defense of one sweetener and attacking the other.
At first, the lawsuit that resulted in these otherwise-secret communications going public, shows that both an executive at The International Society of Beverage Technologists, and the PR Firm, Berman & Company were acting somewhat like cutouts for the Corn Industry’s interests.
But then it gets worse. Another even more wholesomely-named group, “Citizens For Health”, turned out to be yet another deniable surrogate with an industry operator, and their agenda behind it. -This time cleverly-disguised as a non-profit; -that doesn’t have to disclose its affiliations the way a Lobbyist would.
So listen to the podcast from 25:40 to 32:40, & then head over to the NYT and read Eric’s piece for the rest of the Top Secret Memos, disavowed grassroots-organizations, surrogates, and other sketchy details.
-And then take with you, a little reminder you can’t always take “The News” at face-value; even if it seems like there’s a Community, a Study and a Scientist behind it.
JUMP BONUS!: MADTV-SPY VS. SPY!
Photo/Video Credits:
Spy vs. Spy Bombs Illustration by Mad Magazine and Antonio Prohías
Spy vs. Spy “Cafe” Cartoon by MADtv
Links:
• Source: NYT-Rival Industries Sweet-Talk the Public
• via: The Takeaway
• More Coverage: NYTDocs-A War Over Sweetener Market Share | Spy Vs. Spy Headquarters
• Source Study: AJCN-Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity
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