"How the Sweetener Industry Sugar-Coats Science"

"Food companies have spent billions of dollars to cover up the link between sugar consumption and health problems. That's the conclusion of a new report from the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

The industry's tactics—similar to those used by Big Tobacco in downplaying the adverse health effects of smoking—have been written about before. But this latest report draws on newly released documents submitted as evidence in a recent federal court case involving the two biggest players in the sweetener industry: the Sugar Association and the Corn Refiners Association (the trade group for manufacturers of high fructose corn syrup).

The report details companies' plans to bury data and to convince consumers that sugar is "fine in moderation." It also shows how trade groups hired independent scientists to cast doubt on studies that show the adverse affects of sugar consumption—and strategized to intimidate scientists and organizations who didn't toe the industry line."

Gabrielle Canon reports for Mother Jones June 25, 2014.