Credibility matters: Nutrition International snaps ties with NSI for accepting ‘junk food’ sponsorships

“Effective immediately – we have terminated our contract and are in touch with NSI to withdraw our affiliation, endorsement, and logo from the event. Transparency is essential to #EndCoI in #nutrition. No credible nutrition gathering should be sponsored by junk food companies [sic],” Spicer announced on social media platform X.

Effective immediately – we have terminated our contract and are in touch with NSI to withdraw our affiliation, endorsement, and logo from the event.
Transparency is essential to #EndCoI in #nutrition. No credible nutrition gathering should be sponsored by junk food companies. pic.twitter.com/xYL5X4ktYk

— Joel Spicer (@JoelCSpicer) November 25, 2023

Also read: Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s sponsor nutrition conference

More details

Spicer also posted the letter sent to the NSI on 25 November. In the publicly shared letter, he announced the withdrawal of NI’s sponsorship from the 55th Annual Conference of the Nutrition Society of India.

The NI’s letter to NSI. (Sourced)

The decision, as detailed in the letter, marked a significant shift in the organisation’s stance.

The letter cited an agreement, 10-2064-NUTIND-12, signed between the NI and the NSI on 24 November, which affirmed the NI’s support of the conference.

The NI’s decision to retract its sponsorship stemmed from the discovery that companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola, known for their sugar-sweetened beverages, were sponsoring the event.

This sponsorship arrangement stood in direct opposition to the NI’s operational and working philosophy.

Effective immediately, the NI requested the removal of its logo from all communication materials related to the event and declared the agreement terminated as of the early morning hours of 26 November.

The termination was effective upon the NI’s signature and was valid irrespective of the NSI’s agreement to the terms.

With the withdrawal of its support, the NI also stated that no payment would be made towards the event. Furthermore, the organisation would not seek any deliverables from the NSI, as outlined in the original agreement.

The NI also asked the NSI to issue a public statement acknowledging the NI’s withdrawal from the event.

This move by the NI underscores the growing concerns within the health and nutrition community about the influence of corporations whose products are seen as contrary to the goals of public health and nutrition advocacy.

The reaction from the NSI and the broader community to this decisive action remains to be seen.

Also read: ‘Famished children don’t write to PM — they stop growing’

Experts appreciate NI action

Several nutrition experts on X appreciated the NI’s action. Among them was Roger Mathisen, a nutritionist promoting the rights of women and children, and director of Alive and Thrive, Global Nutrition Innovation Incubator.

“No credible nutrition gathering should be sponsored by junk food companies.”

Swift action and exit by @JoelCSpicer @NutritionIntl after entering the minefield of partnerships with professional associations and nutrition societies with a history of corporate capture. https://t.co/WBCYQQ4b4O

— Roger Mathisen (@MathisenRoger) November 26, 2023

A post by a socialist and internationalist Prof Barrie Margetts stated, “Excellent action, the way forward. Vigilance, call out, act. This way things can change. People power,” he posted.

Excellent action, the way forward. Vigilance, call out, act. This way things can change. People power. https://t.co/DotHdRPttm

— Barrie Margetts (@CllrBazMargetts) November 26, 2023

Meanwhile, Dr Arun Gupta, convener of Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPI), praised Joel Spicer.

Actions speak louder , thanks Joel

— Dr Arun Gupta MD FIAP (@Moveribfan) November 26, 2023

Experts’ reactions

The Annual Conference of the NSI is a prestigious event that attracts experts and researchers from across the globe.

Dr Arun Gupta had earlier told South First, “I am shocked to see that the BIG food companies are gold sponsors of the conferences of the NSI.”

He added: “It is a great disappointment that the government is part of the programme and provides legitimacy.”

Meanwhile, critics also expressed concern that the involvement of these companies could lead to a conflict of interest, potentially influencing the research agenda and the outcome of studies related to nutrition and public health.

Journalist Tim Schwab told South First over email: “It is alarming that the Nutrition Society of India and the Gates Foundation would partner with multinational food companies whose primary aim is protecting profits, not public health.”

Schwab, who has won multiple awards for his investigation into the Gates Foundation, added: “At the same time, it is heartening to see so many people on social media openly challenging the growing role that outside, private-sector, conflicted actors play in the field of nutrition.”

He noted that the Gates Foundation, founded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, holds a $487 million investment in Coca-Cola Femsa, according to its most recent financial filings.

This was in addition to investments in corporate food companies, like PepsiCo and Unilever, he added.

“Given these very significant financial conflicts of interest, the Gates Foundation, like other corporate interests, should not be allowed to have any influence in any forum where nutrition recommendations, advice, guidelines, policy-making, or regulations are discussed and formulated,” said Schwab, who has also authored the book The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the Myth of the Good Billionaire.