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Corn syrup lobbyist is helping set USDA dietary guidelines

Image: Billy Hathorn, USDA Bldg., Washington, D.C. IMG 4787, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
Image: Billy Hathorn, USDA Bldg., Washington, D.C. IMG 4787, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

A former lobbyist for the Snack Food Association and the Corn Refiners Association (whose members make high-fructose corn syrup) has been granted a waiver of conflict of interest rules, enabling her to advise the US Department of Agriculture on dietary guidelines.

A spokesperson for the watchdog Public Citizen said, “This lobbyist has a direct and substantial conflict of interest that should disqualify her participation in the matter.” Rules surrounding lobbyists joining government agencies that they have previously lobbied have been relaxed under the Trump administration.

Read more here. See also the Foodsource chapter How are food systems, diets, and health connected?

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