In October 2018 I wrote that the DAA released a statement that they were going to stop accepting sponsorships from food companies, due to the frequent criticisms and perception that they are influenced by those sponsorships. I stated at the time that it would be a good plan for them to stop the sponsorships, but to wait and see how and when they were going to implement this change.
Well, they have, and it's just as bad, or even worse than before!
They are now offering food industry corporations to ADVERTISE with them instead, and advertise DIRECTLY to all registered Dietitians! So the unhealthy food companies that used to sponsor the DAA like Nestle, Kelloggs, Campbells, Arnotts, Sanitarium and more, can spam (aka"influence") all Dietitians in Australia, and those Dietitians cannot opt out of their garbage information!
What is worse is that the DAA are also allowing:
- Food companies to advertise positions vacant in their companies
- Food companies to advertise rooms to be available for Dietitians to practice
- Food companies to advertise in the DAA's events calendar
- Food companies to advertise in the DAA's peer-reviewed journal
- Food companies to advertise at the DAA annual conference
- and more...
Interestingly, the declarations which food industry advertisers must sign for approval, ask them to declare that their products are "not contrary to accepted scientific evidence"! This means that any company which perhaps has a product that is based on NEW (ie, more current) scientific evidence will not be able to advertise to Dietitians, because it would contradict the DAA's already outdated recommendations. How or when will anything ever improve?
Really, nothing has changed at all with this new funding policy! The DAA are now allowing all of their members to be directly influenced by food companies, as opposed to being indirectly influenced through the DAA!
If only the DAA would influence their members with current nutrition science on real food, rather than processed and packaged foods from biased food companies. After all, it should be about the health of all Australians, and not how much money the DAA can make.