At least that’s what bought-and-paid-for scientists say. The Not-(Directly)-for-Profit International Life Sciences Institute was created forty years ago by Coke, Pepsi, General Mills, and others, all companies with less interest in Life Sciences than in influencing government food regulations. According to the NY Times, the Institute recruited scientists to produce what are called advocacy-led studies. This “research” is then used to promote industry-favorable positions in the hopes they will be turned into government policy.

Conferences are typically held at five-star hotels.

One of the institute’s goals is to eliminate legislation that labels the foods we eat. When challenged about working for what some label an industry front, scientists say things like they prefer to bring about change while working from the inside.

How inside?

Way inside. In China, for example, International Life Sciences Institute executives also serve as senior officials inside the nation’s Centers for Disease Control. Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Moss, in his book Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, says the food industry only pretends to be socially responsible. Laura Schmidt, a professor of health policy, says emerging economies (the polite term for third-world countries) have populations that are less informed about health hazards. So if corporations – through their ILSI mouthpiece – are able to influence policy, there is much money to be made selling foods high in sugar, fat, and salt to people who don’t know any better. To their way of thinking, the best consumer is an ignorant consumer. As far as track records go, ILSI fights food labeling, writes reports that say smoking isn’t really dangerous at all, and tells us added chemicals are good for us.

Take a Closer Look, Volume 2, is free to Kindle Unlimited customers. The best way to protect yourself against the manipulations, distortions and fabrications that are more and more prevalent these days is to learn how to see through them.