WHO's diet report prompts food industry backlash

[Guest guest]

Hi All, WHO's diet report prompts food industry backlash. Behind the scenes

events prompt interest.

Cheers, Al.

Alan Pater, Ph.D.; Faculty of Medicine; Memorial University; St. 's, NL

A1B 3V6 Canada; Tel. No.: (709) 777-6488; Fax No.: (709) 777-7010; email:

apater@...

The Lancet 361, 1442

WHO's diet report prompts food industry backlash

Haroon Ashraf

New guidelines by WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on

nutrition and

exercise, published on April 23, have provoked the US sugar industry to ask

Congress to cut all

funding for WHO unless it revises the new rules for healthy eating. WHO

insiders, according to UK

newspaper The Guardian, have called the Sugar Association's response akin to

blackmail and

worse then any reaction from the tobacco industry.

The association, with a coalition of major food groups including Coca-Cola

and Pepsico, have also

written to US health secretary, Tommy , to request that he get the

WHO report

withdrawn. Furthermore, the coalition said that " if necessary we will

promote and encourage new

laws which will require future WHO funding to be provided only if the

organisation accepts that all

reports must be supported by the preponderance of science " .

The association also wrote to Gro Harlem Brundtland, WHO's director general,

and said that it will

" exercise every avenue available to expose the dubious nature " of WHO's

report including

challenging its US$406 million annual funding from the US government.

The FAO/WHO expert report on diet, nutrition and prevention of chronic

diseases describes " the

best currently available scientific evidence on the relationship of diet,

nutrition, and physical activity

to chronic diseases " , said WHO. In 2001, the rapidly growing burden of

chronic disease

contributed approximately 59% of the 56·5 million total reported deaths in

the world and 46% of

the global burden of disease.

The study, compiled by 30 independent experts, recommends a fat intake of

15–30% of total daily

energy intake; saturated fats at less than 10%; carbohydrates at 55–75%; but

free sugars at below

10%. Daily intake of iodised salt, should be less than 5 g a day; protein

intake should be 10–15%;

while intake of fruit and vegetables should be at least 400 g. Finally the

report recommends 1 h of

moderate-intensity activity, such as walking, everyday to maintain a healthy

bodyweight.

The sugar industry claims that the 10% level on daily sugar consumption, is

scientifically flawed and

that a 2002 report by the Institute of Medicine shows that 25% of food and

drink intake can be

sugar based. WHO has strongly rejected this higher level, adding that its

recommendation is in line

with 23 national reports that all support a 10% sugar level.

An analysis of the report's impact by JP , the international bank,

considered that

governments could no longer ignore the human and financial cost of chronic

disease––obesity alone

cost the US economy $117 billion in 2000––and will be forced to make policy

changes. Brundtland

said " food and related companies are a critical element in developing a

long-term solution " . WHO

will meet major food and beverage companies and consumer groups next month.