More than half of the experts on the UK government’s nutrition advisory panel have links to the food industry, research has revealed.
At least 11 of the 17 members of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) have links to companies such as Nestlé and the world’s largest ice cream producer, Unilever.
The conflict of interest has raised questions about his impartiality and there are concerns he is contributing to an “explosion of suffering and death from diet-related diseases in the UK”.
SACN is a powerful group of people appointed as independent experts to advise the government, which in turn influences policy.
Government ‘healthy eating’ advisers have worked with junk food companies such as Nestlé, study finds
Since its creation in 2000, it has produced high-profile guidelines on daily salt and sugar intake, vitamin D supplements and infant feeding.
But with rising levels of obesity and related health problems, both the SACN and officials who review its recommendations have faced criticism that they have not done enough to curb the situation.
BMJ researchers analysed the interests declared by SACN members in publicly available documents posted on the government website over the past three years.
They found that David Mela, a retired senior scientist at Unilever, has done consulting work for Unilever, Tate and Lyle, the Israeli Coca Cola franchise, CBC Israel, and Cargill, which produces cocoa and chocolate products, among other things.
Another member, Julie Lovegrove, chairs a think tank at the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Europe, whose member companies include Pepsico, Mondelez (the US owner of Cadbury) and General Mills, the US firm behind Cheerios and Haagen Dazs.
At least six of the 11 members of SACN’s subgroup on maternal and infant nutrition have ties to food companies, including baby food manufacturers and formula brands.
These include Ann Prentice, a board member of the Nestlé Foundation, and Marion Hetherington, who has done work for Danone and baby food brand Ella’s Kitchen, the latter on an unpaid basis.
Nutritionist Ann Prentice is a board member of the Nestlé Foundation, the BMJ investigation reported.
The group’s chairman, Ken Ong, also received research funding from Mead Johnston Nutrition, which makes formula, the investigation said.
Last night, experts criticised the associations, suggesting they may have unwittingly hampered progress in improving the country’s diet.
Chris van Tulleken, an associate professor at University College London and author of a bestselling book on ultra-processed foods, said: ‘Even small financial conflicts affect behaviour and beliefs in subtle or unconscious ways.
‘Despite two decades of work by a contentious SACN, there has been an explosion of suffering and death from diet-related diseases in the UK, so I do not think it is credible to claim that the committee has been very effective.’
He added: “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 which have created this health crisis. The SACN must become independent of the food industry.”
David Mela, a retired Unilever senior scientist, has done consultancy work for Unilever, Tate and Lyle and chocolate makers Cargill.
Rob Percival, policy director at the Soil Association, said: “We are concerned that the committee and its integrity could be undermined by such links to the food industry.”
However, others defended the links, saying they were partly the result of a lack of money for relevant research.
Alison Tedstone, former chief nutritionist at Public Health England, also suggests that refusing to allow experts with industry links onto SACN would “diminish” their expertise and could delay future legislation.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) responded on behalf of SACN and all members named in this article, saying its members are required to declare any potential conflicts of interest.
A spokesman said these are recorded in the minutes of committee meetings and also published on the SACN website.
He said: “None of the committee members are directly employed by the food and drink industry, and all have a duty to act in the public interest and to be independent and impartial.”