The American food industry and the watchdogs assigned to it are not working for the interest of the American people, according to investigative journalist Jefferey Jaxen. He made this assertion during the Jan. 2 episode of "The HighWire with Del Bigtree."
"The reason we report on this so much is people say, 'I know this story, I know the story.' But until we can clean this up, until we can get everyone on the same page and realize that these industries and these watchdogs may not be working in our best interest," Jaxen told Del Bigtree.
"That's one of the biggest first steps to changing culture, and to changing how we live our everyday lives when it comes to these overarching agencies."
According to Jaxen, America is going to need an active population because Type 2 diabetes cases among young people are skyrocketing due to rising obesity rates. Similarly, America's obesity epidemic is growing – with 19 states already having adult obesity rates above 35 percent.
The investigative journalist ultimately pointed his finger at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These entities, which are supposed to be upholding the health and well-being of Americans, appear to be doing a lousy job at it.
Big Food paying the AND millions to advance its interests
Jaxen also cited a report from the Guardian, which revealed that the AND is receiving millions from Big Food. (Related: The food industry, like Big Pharma, controls the FDA and USDA.)
"It goes on to say that the [AND] … 'accepted at least $15 million from corporate and organizational contributors from 2011 to 2017. Over $4.5 million in additional funding went to the [AND's] foundation,'" he said. According to the piece, huge contributions came from food companies such as Nestle, PepsiCo, Hershey, Kellogg's, General Mills, ConAgra, the National Dairy Council and Abbott Nutrition.
The investigative journalist mentioned that back in 2015 – the AND inked a two-year, $300,000 sponsorship deal with Abbott to promote the infant formula Pediasure. As per records, the AND also owned stock in Abbott at the time of the deal. Aside from this, it also owns stock and has a sponsorship deal with PepsiCo.
Jaxen also referenced a controversy involving the AND and Kraft, with the former agreeing to permit the food manufacturer to put "Kids Eat Healthy" seal on Kraft Singles packaging. The presence of the seal suggested that an independent source verified the product's nutritional value. However, this was later found to be unverified – making the designation fraudulent.
"That's a huge thing. They're also big on lobbying for any changes to the state of health and nutrition," said Jaxen. "That's a big deal because that's where a lot of these guidelines really do come from – and so, we have this really behemoth organization that's a front for our companies."
Bigtree put in his two cents on the matter, calling the food industry the true "regulatory swamp." He expressed belief that every regulatory agency that claims it is looking out for the good of the American people is probably being staffed by executives from the very industries that Americans are supposed to be protected from.
Watch the full conversation between Del Bigtree and Jefferey Jaxen about Big Food below.
This video is from The HighWire with Del Bigtree channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Food industry continues to market junk food to children.
Sweet Lies: How the Food Industry is Brainwashing the Public.
Food companies attempting to work around the Freedom of Information Act.
Hidden sugar: Food companies disguise its presence with these deceptive practices.
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