Exploring additional options to enhance our engagement in the digital media measured by the extent of coverage.
IFIC pursued this “educational outreach to journalists” through what appears to be informal agreements with academic researchers. In a 2014 email, then Associate Director of Nutrients, Kris Sollid, emailed Dr. Mark Kern from San Diego State University regarding the documentary “Fed Up” by Katie Couric:
Also, we’ve just been contacted regarding a show that will air tomorrow on sugar with Dr. [Robert] Lustig as guest. Although they are not seeking an additional live guest, they are potentially looking for a statement from a leading researcher that may offer a different perspective than Dr. Lustig. In advance of any potential submission of an expert statement, I was curious if would you be willing/able to submit a scientific statement on the topic of sugars, HFCS, fructose, etc.
The media outlet Food Navigator mentioned above described itself as the “leading online news source for the food industry” . When this email was sent, Marianne Smith Edge was the Senior Vice President of Nutrition and Food Safety at IFIC.IFIC funds and implements an annual survey of US consumer food preferences, and publishes results from this survey in academic journals [].
Throughout the documents there was a consistent focus on behavioral determinants of dietary intake. In the IFIC 2012–2015 Strategy Document , one stated goal was: