Six of 19 SACN Members Retain Significant Food Industry Ties Two Years After BMJ Exposure

The BMJ examined SACN's latest interests register and identified six members with ties including recent British Nutrition Foundation leadership funded by Coca-Cola and Nestlé, plus research grants from Danone, meat, dairy and nut sectors. Three additional members listed relevant but less severe links. The review followed a 2024 BMJ investigation that prompted a House of Lords diet and obesity report and SACN's September 2025 policy tightening, which bars new significant interests and phases out existing ones over two years. DHSC stated members with conflicts are excluded from relevant discussions until compliance.

Critics including Chris van Tulleken note that even lapsed funding can shape research priorities and erode public trust in guidelines on ultra-processed foods and sweeteners. The analysis also flagged un-noted affiliations such as American Society for Nutrition fellowships sponsored by PepsiCo and Mondelez, and Nutrition Society conference sponsorship, connections the committee's narrow definition overlooked. These gaps mirror patterns seen in prior nutrition advisory bodies where industry funding correlated with softer recommendations on sugar and processed foods.

Next steps hinge on whether DHSC enforces immediate divestment rather than the two-year transition or expands the definition of significant interests to cover past grants and society roles. Without rapid action, SACN reports on infant feeding and older adult nutrition risk diminished credibility.

Evidence from observational register reviews shows consistent associations between advisor funding sources and policy framing, yet cannot prove individual bias; randomized audits of recommendation language before and after COI removal would be required to quantify impact.