Talk:Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Untitled
This page gives a good history and overview of the organization, but says nothing about the current controversies related to the ADA diet recommendations. This should be remedied.Michaplot (talk) 17:43, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

Jonny Bowden
I am reverting the edits to the reference to Jonny Bowden. I do not support Jonny Bowden, but unless you have evidence that he has fabricated his credentials, he has to be called a nutritionist. He claims to have a Ph.D. in nutrition and a C.N.S, which is a respected degree in nutrition. He says on his website that he has:
 * "a Master’s Degree in psychology and counseling and a PhD in nutrition, and has earned six national certifications in personal training and exercise. He is board certified by the American College of Nutrition."

While you or I may not agree with his advice and while he may advocate positions contrary to the prevailing wisdom, it is not fair to characterize him as a pseudo-nutritionist and to claim he has no degree. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Michaplot (talk • contribs) 01:43, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

COI
Saw that the AND was making superficial edits with a named account so I added in a COI tag. This leads me to suspect that they're also removing sourced material. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.178.111.160 (talk) 21:58, 4 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Although it's suspicious that a few seemingly biased accounts are adding in unencyclopedic edits, I'm not sure there's enough evidence yet to flag the page with this. Jpjaegerc5 (talk) 03:07, 6 June 2012 (UTC)

Questions about updating/correcting content in article
Hello. I'm writing from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. There are a number of passages in the article about the Academy that are either incorrect, out of date or convey incomplete information. We understand that making edits to the article ourselves would constitute a conflict of interest. However, we would be glad to assist in making the article more accurate. Thanks very much. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 38.98.128.10 (talk) 16:31, 10 June 2014 (UTC) TomHRyan (talk) 18:12, 17 June 2014 (UTC)


 * Please list your specific suggested edits here. Note, that in order to be considered, they need to be supported with citations, pursuant to WP:Verifiability policy. Alanscottwalker (talk) 22:02, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Will do. Thanks very much. TomHRyan (talk) 14:26, 19 June 2014 (UTC)

Below are our suggested edits to the article on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Thanks again very much.

Suggested edits to Wikipedia article on Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics June 2014

Introduction: •	The Academy does not use the abbreviation AND. Subsequent references after the first should be “the Academy.”

•	The Academy has more than 75,000 members. Source:

•	The article refers to the majority of Academy members as registered dietitians. In 2013 the Academy’s Board of Directors and the Commission on Dietetic Registration approved the optional use of the credential “registered dietitian nutritionist” (RDN) by all registered dietitians. Reason: All registered dietitians are nutritionists – but not all nutritionists are registered dietitians. Those who hold the credential registered dietitian (RD) may optionally use “registered dietitian nutritionist” (RDN) instead. The two credentials have identical meanings. Adding the optional RDN credential does not affect licensure or other regulations. The option was established to further enhance the RD brand and more accurately reflect to consumers who registered dietitians are and what they do and spotlights the rigorous credential requirements to become an RDN. Source:

•	The article refers to some members of the Academy as dietetic technicians. The correct term for this credential is dietetic technician, registered. Source:

•	The list of occupations filled by members of the Academy is incomplete. A more accurate listing of members’ practice areas would include consulting, education, public health, diet counseling, foodservice management, restaurants, grocery stores and chains, hospitals and long-term care facilities, education systems, education of other health care professionals and scientific research. Source:

Origins: •	The Academy was founded in 1917 as the American Dietetic Association. Source:

•	The following paragraph is incomplete and out of date (Sylvia Escott-Stump is a past president of the Academy): According to current Academy president Sylvia Escott Stump, the group changed their name to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2012 to reflect the scientific and academic expertise of its members.[10]

Suggested edit: The Academy adopted its new name in January 2012. According to then-president Sylvia Escott-Stump: “ADA has been in existence since 1917, after working to feed the troops healthfully during World War I. Protecting the public’s health is the highest priority of ADA and our members and our new name complements our focus: the nutritional well-being of the American public. The name Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics promotes the strong science background and academic expertise of our members, primarily registered dietitians. Nutrition science underpins wellness, prevention and treatment. An academy is ‘a society of learned persons organized to advance science.’ This term describes our organization and immediately emphasizes the educational strength of our advice and expertise. By adding nutrition to our name, we communicate our capacity for translating nutrition science into healthier lifestyles for everyone. Keeping dietetics supports our history as a food and science-based profession. Thus, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics quickly and accurately communicates our identity—who we are and what we do. Whether planning nutritious meals for children in day-care centers or schools, teaching individuals with diabetes about managing their blood sugar or saving lives with complex nutritional interventions after surgery, registered dietitians are the best qualified providers. The name change communicates that we are the nutrition experts.” Source:

Finances and Organization •	The information in the article is out of date. Current financial information about the Academy can be found in the Academy’s 2013 Annual Report. Source:

•	In paragraph beginning “The Academy has offices both in Chicago and Washington DC.…”

The Academy does not “maintain” other organizations and entities and the paragraph incorrectly combines several different groups and misidentifies one that has changed its name. (Each of these groups could be the subject of its own article or section, as with the Academy’s Foundation, as covered below.) o	The Commission on Dietetic Registration is the Academy’s accreditation agency. CDR has sole and independent authority in all matters pertaining to certification, including but not limited to standard setting, establishment of fees, finances and administration. Source:.

o	The Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education changed its name in 2013 to the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics. ACEND is the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ accrediting agency for education programs preparing students for careers as registered dietitians or dietetic technicians, registered. ACEND serves and protects students and the public by assuring the quality and continued improvement of nutrition and dietetics education programs. Source:

o	The Academy’s political action committee ANDPAC is the only political action committee broadly focused on food, nutrition and health. It ranks among the top health professional political action committees in the country. ANDPAC’s goal is to support pro-nutrition candidates for federal office, regardless of political party. Source:

o	Academy Foundation. (See below)

o	Dietetic Practice Groups: DPGs are specialty-interest member groups within the Academy, open only to Academy members. Below is a full list of the Academy’s DPGs:

	Behavioral Health Nutrition: Vision: Impact the nutrition of the behavioral health populations we serve.

	Clinical Nutrition Management: Managers who direct clinical nutrition programs across the continuum of care.

	Diabetes Care and Education: Vision: DCE members are the most valued authorities on nutrition in diabetes care, education and prevention.

	Dietetic Educators of Practitioners: Educators of dietetic practitioners for entry and advanced levels of dietetics practice.

	Dietetic Technicians in Practice: Dietetic Technicians, Registered, dietetic technician educators and others who are interested in practice and issues that directly affect the DTR.

	Dietetics in Health Care Communities: Practitioners who provide nutrition care services to acute and long-term-care facilities, home care companies, health care

agencies, corrections and the foodservice industry.

	Dietitians in Business and Communications: Provides services for dietetics professionals who are working/consulting with business and organizations in the food, nutrition, communications and health care industries or who are self-employed or small business owners.

	Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine: Members interested in the study of holistic, integrative and functional medicine therapies.

	Dietitians in Nutrition Support: Dietitians who integrate the science and practice of enteral and parenteral nutrition in order to provide appropriate nutrition support therapy to individuals encompassing adults, pediatrics, inpatients, outpatients, home care and transplantation.

	Food and Culinary Professionals: Vision: Optimizing the nation’s health through food and nutrition

	Healthy Aging: Vision: Healthy Aging Dietetic Practice Group members are the most valued source of food, nutrition and wellness information and services for older adults.

	Hunger and Environmental Nutrition: Vision: Optimize the nation’s health by promoting access to nutritious food and clean water from a secure and sustainable food system.

	Infectious Diseases Nutrition: members sharing cutting-edge information on nutrition management of Infectious Diseases and providing an avenue for research, monitoring and advocacy for nutrition intervention.

	Management in Food and Nutrition Systems: Food and nutrition care leaders generally employed in institutions, colleges and universities; includes directors of departments of facilities and administrative dietitians and technicians

	Medical Nutrition Practice Group: Vision: Optimize the nation’s health through state of the art medical nutrition care.

	Nutrition Education for the Public: Practitioners involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of nutrition education programs for target populations.

	Nutrition Educators of Health Professionals: Members involved in education and communication with physicians, nurses, dentists and other health care professionals.

	Nutrition Entrepreneurs: Vision: Shaping the future of dietetics by pursuing innovative and creative ways of providing nutrition products and services to consumers, industry, media and businesses.

	Oncology Nutrition: Nutrition professionals involved in the care of cancer patients, cancer prevention and research.

	Pediatric Nutrition: Practitioners who provide nutrition services for the pediatric population in a wide variety of settings.

	Public Health/Community Nutrition: Nutrition professionals who plan and evaluate food and nutrition programs, develop food and nutrition policies, plan, implement and evaluate health promotion and disease prevention programs and provide nutrition services to all age groups in a community setting.

	Renal Dietitians: A professional organization that focuses on chronic kidney disease and provides educational materials and resources for both professionals and patients/clients.

	Research: Mission: Lead the future of dietetics by promoting the conduct and application of research related to food, nutrition and dietetics.

	School Nutrition Services: Persons employed in child nutrition programs at the local, state and national levels; researchers and educators; corporate dietitians supplying products or services to school foodservice operations and persons interested in children’s nutrition issues.

	Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition: Nutrition professionals with expertise in promoting healthy, active lifestyles through excellence in nutrition for sports performance, cardiovascular health, wellness and the prevention and treatment of disordered eating.

	Vegetarian Nutrition: Vision: To promote global health and well-being by developing influential policy and comprehensive education and supporting cutting edge research.

	Weight Management: Vision: Optimize the nation’s health through weight and lifestyle management.

	Women’s Health: Practitioners addressing women’s health and nutrition care issues throughout the life cycle.

Source:

o	Member Interest Groups: MIGs are organized by common interest other than practice areas or geographical location. All MIGs are open to any Academy member. The Academy’s Member Interest Groups are:

	Chinese Americans in Dietetics and Nutrition (CADN)

	Fifty Plus in Nutrition and Dietetics (FPIND)

	Filipino Americas in Dietetics and Nutrition (FADAN)

	Latinos and Hispanics in Dietetics and Nutrition (LAHIDAN)

	Muslims in Dietetics and Nutrition (MIDAN)

	National Organization of Blacks in Dietetics and Nutrition (NOBIDAN)

	National Organization of Men in Nutrition (NOMIN)

Source:

o	Academy Affiliates: The Academy has 53 state affiliate organizations (including Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the American Overseas Dietetic Association) and approximately 230 local and district associations within the state affiliates.

Source:

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation

This information is out of date. Up-to-date information can be found at

Research and Publications

The paragraph on Food/2 magazine, while not factually incorrect, refers to something that happened more than 30 years ago, and does not seem relevant to anything the Academy is doing today. Can we suggest deleting it? If it has to remain, our records indicate that Food/3 was in fact published at the same time as Food/2, covering the subjects of fat and cholesterol that were supposedly withheld from Food/2. Food/3 “focuses on practical guidelines readers can follow in reducing the levels of total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol in their meals and snacks.”

Source:

Certification

The paragraph indicates that ACEND changed its name before the Academy did. This is incorrect. As noted above, the Academy changed its name in 2012, and ACEND changed its name in 2013.

Controversy

The paragraph beginning “In 1982, the organization faced mass resignations from members over a decision to support President Ronald Reagan’s cuts in food stamps and school lunch programs” as noted above, seems extremely dated, and is sourced to one newspaper article with no followup. The article mentions that some members considered resigning over the issue, but it would also be worth noting that the Academy’s membership rose from 1982 to 1983, from 47,772 to 49,859.

Source:

Criticisms of Partnerships with Food Companies

This section contains both factual errors and debatable interpretations. Much of the sourcing in this section is to opinion articles by Marion Nestle, who is entitled to her opinions – but we believe the Wikipedia article about the Academy should more clearly convey that these are her opinions and are not undisputed facts.

We also ask that references to the Academy’s corporate sponsorship program not be limited to criticisms of it, but include our reasons for entering into sponsorship agreements; the criteria that sponsors must adhere to (including the understanding that sponsorship does not entail any kind of endorsement by the Academy of any company, product or service); the procedures and safeguards the Academy has put in place to avoid conflicts of interest and undue sponsor influence in our programs and healthful-eating messages.

All this information and much more is available on the Academy’s website:

Some or all of the following information should be included in a discussion of the Academy’s corporate sponsorship program:

To advance the Academy’s mission of empowering members to be the food and nutrition leaders, the Academy’s corporate sponsorship program allows for purposeful collaboration with food and nutrition organizations.

Through structured, Academy-directed relationships the objectives of the Academy’s corporate sponsorship program are:

•	To work with industry to build awareness of the Academy and its members

•	To share science-based information, new research and industry trends in food and nutrition with members

•	To enable the Academy to reach millions of consumers with healthy eating messages

•	For the Academy, relationships with sponsors are not about promoting their products or services, but rather about creating nutrition messages that people can understand and act upon to improve their health and that of their families. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and its entities consider the Academy’s vision and mission in all decisions, including whether to enter into a relationship with an outside company and/or organization.

Vision: Optimizing health through food and nutrition.

Mission: Empowering members to be the food and nutrition leaders.

Source:

The Academy is transparent about our sponsorship program and does not tailor messages or programs in any way due to corporate sponsors. On the contrary: The Academy's consumer messages are based on evidence-based reviews of the latest and most authoritative science, including the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other authoritative sources.

Source:

Home Food Safety The correct name of the Academy’s collaboration with the ConAgra Foods Foundation is Home Food Safety. In addition to listing the foods manufactured by ConAgra, it would be useful for readers to know the purpose of the program:

To raise consumer awareness about the seriousness of food poisoning (also referred to as foodborne illness) and to provide solutions for easily and safely handling food in their own kitchens, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) and ConAgra Foods’ public awareness campaign, Home Food Safety, is dedicated to providing home food safety statistics, information about food poisoning and safe food handling information and tips.

Source:.

Booth space at conferences

The article implies that “soft drink and candy makers” are the only (or majority of) vendors at the Academy’s conferences. This is not true. Each year, there are more than 300 exhibitors at the Academy’s Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo, spanning the full range of food companies (large and small alike), nonprofit and educational organizations and other groups who work with registered dietitian nutritionists. As in past years, FNCE 2014 will include a gluten-free pavilion, a natural and organic pavilion and a diabetes pavilion.

Source:

Genetically Modified Foods Panel

It is incorrect to say that this panel was charged with setting Academy policy on genetically modified foods. The panel was charged with addressing a wider scope than genetically modified foods, focusing on analyzing the current state of the science on the substantially larger issue of food technology.

The registered dietitian – who was invited to join the food technology work group because of her perspective on the subject – was removed from the group for not disclosing a consulting practice on a conflict-of-interest form that is required of every Academy work group member. The fact that she has a consulting practice is of no consequence; her failure to disclose the practice, despite repeated requests to do so, was the sole reason for her removal. The dietitian’s claim, despite her subsequent contention, that she was removed for any other reason is her own speculation and is untrue. The Academy ensures that diverse perspectives and viewpoints are represented on its work groups. The Academy is committed to upholding the highest standards of scientific rigor and personal and institutional ethics at all times. Source:

“Rarely criticizing food companies” Again, the article spotlights Marion Nestle’s opinions – on whether the Academy does or does not criticize food companies – and presents her opinions as undisputed facts. Further, whether the Academy criticizes anyone misses the point: The Academy is an independent, credible source of science-based information for consumers, the news media, policy makers, health professionals and all audiences. We are not allied with any point of view other than the health of the American public.

Information on our position as an independent source of reliable information is available at.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to correct some of the article’s inaccuracies and present a well-rounded article about the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Please let us know if we can provide further information.

TomHRyan (talk) 20:26, 19 June 2014 (UTC)

Hello. We have not heard back from anyone since offering our suggested edits on June 19. But if we go ahead and edit the article about the Academy (as it appears someone from the Academy did in 2012), the edits will, I'm sure be quickly reversed (as they were in 2012). Could you provide some guidance on how the errors and misconceptions in the article about the Academy can be addressed? Thanks very much. TomHRyan (talk) 00:27, 22 August 2014 (UTC)


 * The correct way to get attention is by posting at the top of the section, which I have done for you. However, to be frank, I don't think your chances of getting the edits you want are very high. Your sources should be independent of you. Eatright is published by you, and may only be used according to Verifiability. Much of the text you wrote is not neutrally factual, but sounds like advertising copy. It could not possibly be supported by citing your own website.


 * There is also no obvious link to information on Eatright's funding and conflicts of interest on its webpages, which would tend to be a black mark against it as a source anyway, especially for medical information.


 * I've added a "disputed" label for the factual statement about when ACEND changed its name.


 * The fact that you have entered into financial relationships that place you in a conflict of interest with respect to your goal of "Optimizing health through food and nutrition" is notable, because the coverage in the academic literature and the news media tends to show that these COIs are of interest to a large number of people. The fact that you have your reasons is not; as far as I can tell, no-one except yourself has found your reasons worth documenting. They cannot therefore be added to the article, which is already pretty long.


 * May I also direct you to this article?


 * Scientific evidence changes, and it is sometimes very difficult to change our ideas to fit the evidence. See cognitive dissonance. It is probably impossible to persuade you that your funding is causing you to harm public health.


 * On the other hand, the only way to persuade anyone here that it isn't causing harm is if genuinely independent third parties spontaneously present good evidence that your COIs are harmless. Genuinely independent third parties are spontaneously presenting good evidence that COIs like yours are harmful to public health. Please, think it over, and come to your own conclusions as best you can. HLHJ (talk) 02:22, 25 March 2018 (UTC)

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