International Food Information Council
| International Food Information Council | |
| Motto | Our vision is a global environment where credible science drives food policy and consumer choice. |
|---|---|
| 52-1439244[1] | |
| Purpose | Dedicated to the mission of effectively communicating science-based information on health, nutrition and food safety for the public good. |
Revenue (2013[2]) | $5,166,092[3] |
| Expenses (2013[4]) | $4,964,113[5] |
Founded in 1985, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to effectively communicate science-based information on food safety and nutrition to health and nutrition professionals, educators, government officials, journalists, and others providing information to consumers, primarily in the United States.[6] IFIC is supported by the broad-based food, beverage, and agricultural industries.[7] IFIC does not represent any product or company, nor does it lobby for legislative or regulatory action.
Purpose
IFIC’s purpose is to bridge the gap between science and communications by collecting and disseminating scientific information on food safety, nutrition, and health and by working with an extensive roster of science experts to help translate research into understandable and useful information for opinion leaders and ultimately, consumers. The people that fund this council are companies like Monsanto, DuPont, and Coca Cola, to name a few.
Food safety and nutrition topics
IFIC provides science-based information on a variety of food safety and nutrition topics such as:
- obesity (including childhood obesity)
- dietary fats (including trans fats)
- carbohydrates and sugars
- sodium
- functional foods
- low-calorie sweeteners (sometimes called sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners)
- caffeine
- food biotechnology (also referred to as genetic engineering, genetically modified organism (GMO), or genetically modified foods)
- food allergies
- food safety
The IFIC Foundation
In 1991, the International Food Information Council Foundation was established as the educational arm of IFIC. IFIC Foundation projects have included a joint effort with the Harvard School of Public Health to develop guidelines for communicating new health and science research, the Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes toward Food, Nutrition & Health, and research on media coverage of diet, health, and food safety issues. IFIC Foundation materials can be found in both English and Spanish at http://www.foodinsight.org.
IFIC Foundation projects
- Kidnetic.com, A childhood obesity prevention project that gets kids motivated to lead a healthy lifestyle
- Improving Public Understanding: Guidelines For Communicating Emerging Science on Nutrition, Food Safety, and Health, A Joint Project Between the IFIC Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health
- Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes toward Food, Nutrition & Health
- Food For Thought--A media tracking survey that looks at how the news media, ranging from print to broadcast to the Internet, cover the important topics of food safety, nutrition, and health
- Food Insight Newsletter
IFIC Supporters (2/13)
- Abbott Nutrition
- Ajinomoto North America, Inc.
- Archer Daniels Midland Company
- Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.
- Bayer CropScience LP
- Cargill, Incorporated
- The Coca-Cola Company
- Compass Group
- The Dannon Company, Inc.
- Dow AgroSciences, LLC
- Dr Pepper Snapple Group
- DSM Nutritional Products, Inc.
- DuPont
- Elanco
- Ferrero USA
- General Mills, Inc.
- Hillshire Brands Company
- The Hershey Company
- H.J. Heinz Company
- The J.M. Smucker Company
- J.R. Simplot Company
- Kellogg
- Kraft Foods
- Mars, Incorporated
- McCormick & Company, Inc.
- McDonald’s Corporation
- McNeil Nutritionals
- Mead Johnson Nutrition
- Mondelēz International, Inc.
- Monsanto Company
- Nestlé
- PepsiCo
- Red Bull North America
- StarKist
- Tate & Lyle
- Unilever
- Yum! Brands
- Zoetis
Criticism
In a report titled, The Best Public Relations Money Can Buy: A Guide to Food Industry Front Groups, the Center for Food Safety called IFIC and similar organizations "front groups" formed by large corporations in which to "hide behind friendly-sounding organizations" in order to mislead the public into trusting their companies and products. According to the report, IFIC and other front groups run media campaigns which include TV appearances, news articles, advertisements, and published research to present their desired information.[9]
References
- ↑ "Nonprofit Explorer". Propublica. Propublica. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ↑ "Nonprofit explorer". Propublica. Propublica. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ↑ "Nonprofit explorer". Propublica. Propublica. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ↑ "Nonprofit explorer". Propublica. Propublica. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ↑ "Nonprofit explorer". Propublica. Propublica. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ↑ Nonprofit Report for INTERNATIONAL FOOD INFORMATION COUNCIL
- ↑ FAQ
- ↑ IFIC | Food Safety, Healthy Eating and Nutrition Information
- ↑ http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/cfs_front_groups_79234.pdf