The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is a multi-unit enterprise that includes a 501(c)(6) trade association in the United States. With over 60,000 members, the association claims to be the largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. Its members include registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), nutrition and dietetics technicians, registered (NDTRs), and other dietetics professionals.
Founded in 1917 as the American Dietetic Association, the organization officially changed its name to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2012. According to the group's website, about 65% of its members are RDNs, and another 2% are NDTRs. The group's primary activities include providing testimony at hearings, lobbying the United States Congress and other governmental bodies, commenting on proposed regulations, and publishing statements on various topics related to food and nutrition.
The association is funded by a number of food multinationals, pharmaceutical companies, and food industry lobbying groups, such as the National Confectioners Association. The academy has faced controversy regarding corporate influence and its relationship with the food industry and funding from corporate groups such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Mars, and others.
History The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics was founded in 1917 in Cleveland, Ohio, by a group of women led by Seventh-day Adventist Lenna F. Cooper, and the academy's first president, Lulu G. Graves, to help the government conserve food and improve public health during World War I.Barber, Mary I. History of the American Dietetic Association, 1917-1959. Lippincott: 1959. It is now headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.Mayer, Jean and Dr. Johanna Dwyer. Careers in Dietetics. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 27, 1978.
The original mission of the academy was in part to help make maximal use of America's food resources during wartime.Foer, Jonathan Safran. Food industry dictates nutrition policy. CNN. October 30, 2009. In its first year, the academy attracted 58 members.American Dietetic Association Reaches Membership Milestone, Surpassing 70,000 Members for the First Time . Eat Right. April 7, 2009. It remained a small organisation, remaining under the 1,000-member mark until the 1930s. As the group's scope expanded, so did its membership numbers. Between the 1930s and 1960s, membership grew to more than 60,000. Growth trajectory has since stabilised, and the academy marked its 70,000th member when a female dietitian in Texas re-joined the academy in May 2009. Since its founding in 1917, the academy had gained members in every decade until at least 2009, but there was a decrease to around 63,000 members in the 2020s.
Branding An authorised seal for the organisation was adopted by the executive board and presented to members on October 24, 1940. At its centre are symbols of the three main characteristics of the profession: a balance scale, representing science as the foundation and symbolising equality; a caduceus, representing the close relationship between dietetics and medicine; and a cooking vessel, representing cookery and food preparation. Around the main design is a shaft of wheat, representing bread, the staff of life, and stylised acanthus leaves, representing growth and life. Over the design is a cornucopia, representing an abundant food supply. Beneath the design is the motto, "Quam Plurimis Prodesse" (means to benefit as many as possible). Around the edge is the name of the organisation and the date of its founding written in Roman numerals.
The seal is still in use on Registration Status Certificates for both registered dietitians and dietetic technicians, registered, as well as on the gold member pin.
According to current Academy president Sylvia Escott Stump, the group changed its name to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2012 to reflect the scientific and academic expertise of its members.
Initiatives The academy has offices in Chicago and Washington, D.C. It also maintains several other organisations and entities, including the Commission on Dietetic Registration, Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education, Dietetic Practice Groups, Academy Political Action Committee, and Academy Foundation. There are also several Member Interest Groups that include more than 4,800 members with common interests or specialities including Fifty Plus in Nutrition and Dietetics; Filipino Americans in Dietetics and Nutrition; Muslims in Dietetics and Nutrition; and National Organisation of Blacks in Dietetics and Nutrition. Members of the academy can get involved in public policy advocacy in several areas, including Wellness and Prevention, Diversity and Inclusion, Nutrition Security and Food Safety, and Nutrition Care and Health Systems. They can get involved in advocacy efforts by completing action alerts on various policy issues that address improving communities’ nutrition and health status in the U.S. and worldwide, as well as through grassroots resources aimed at advocating health and nutrition policy from their home states and an annual advocacy summit that offers an opportunity to speak directly with legislative staff and leaders in Washington, D.C.
Kids Eat Right The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the ADA Foundation launched their first joint initiative, Kids Eat Right, in November 2012. This member-driven campaign is dedicated to supporting the efforts of the White House to end the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. Kids Eat Right is a two-tiered campaign aimed to mobilise Academy members to participate in community and school childhood obesity prevention efforts, and also to educate families, communities, and policy makers about the importance of quality nutrition.
Kids Eat Right has a website that gives families healthy eating tips, articles, videos, and recipes from registered dietitians.School's Out! Help Your Kids Eat Right All Summer Long. NewsWire. May 24, 2011. Kids Eat Right also has health information based in science and centred around the theme "Shop-Cook-Eat", which has information about how to shop for healthy foods, how to cook foods with the most nutrient value, and gives the benefits of eating together at home and away from home.
Events In 1973, the academy created "National Nutrition Week". The theme the first year was "Invest in Yourself...Buy Nutrition."Dietetic Association tells of Nat'l Nutrition Week. The Bryan Times. March 2, 1973. On May 9, 2010, the academy proclaimed "Registered Dietitian's Day" to honour the "indispensable providers of food and nutrition services and to recognise RD for their commitment to helping people enjoy healthy lives." The association also sponsors "National Nutrition Month" in March in the U.S.Grotto, Dave. National Nutrition Month: Dave Grotto. USA Today. January 21, 2005.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation In 1966, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics established its Foundation as a 501(c)(3) public charity devoted exclusively to nutrition and dietetics. The Foundation is the world's largest provider of dietetic scholarships at all levels of study with other programs including awards, research grants, fellowships, public education programs and disaster relief efforts.
Funding for various programs, funds, scholarships, initiatives and grants of the Foundation are raised by Academy members, giving societies, legacy, matching and tribute donations, program fees and offerings, and gifts, sponsorship's' and grants from for-profit and non-profit organisations. The Foundation was given a four-star overall rating by CharityNavigator.org in 2018 based on data from fiscal year 2017.American Dietetic Association Foundation. Charity Navigator.
Finances For fiscal year 2019, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and its related organisations reported net assets of $48.36 million. For the same year, it earned revenues of $36,686,239, including $11.03 million of revenue from membership dues, $8.64 million from registration and examination fees, $5.52 million of revenue from programs and meetings, $5.29 million from publications and subscriptions, $2.29 million from education programs, and $1.1 million from its corporate sponsors. The organisation incurred $38,562,550 of expenses during the same period.
During fiscal year 2015, the organisation received $1.1 million in corporate sponsorship's from companies like General Mills, Coca-Cola and Pepsi Co via donations, joint initiatives, and programs. p. 5: "CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP: 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."
Positions and publications
The academy aims to influence public opinion and legislative discussion about health, food safety and nutrition through its numerous publications. Volunteers of the AND have been quoted in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Men's Fitness, O Magazine, Consumer Reports, Forbes and Huffington Post. In 2010, the organisation stated it received approximately 30 billion media impressions annually. p. 2: “Coverage of ADA totaled more than 30 billion media impressions, including stories in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Sun-Times. Consumer magazine coverage of ADA appeared in Men's Fitness, O Magazine, Consumer Reports, U.S. News & World Report, Prevention, Self, Forbes, and Huffington Post, among others.”
The AND holds a variety of positions on public health and diet, including: The academy "maintains that the only way to lose weight is through a healthy, well-balanced diet and exercise."The American Dietetic Association maintains that the only way to lose weight is through a healthy, well-balanced diet and exercise. Lakeland Ledger. October 20, 1999. The academy's stated position is that "there are no good or bad foods, only good and bad diets." According to the academy such labelling or "bumpers" confuse the public.Group's Pursuit of Cash Draws Fire . Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. December 6, 1995. The academy states that "exclusive breastfeeding provides optimal nutrition and health protection for the first 6 months of life and breastfeeding with complementary foods from 6 months until at least 12 months of age is the ideal feeding pattern for infants."Position of the American Dietetic Association: Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding. American Dietetic Association. November 2009. The academy "believes that up to two servings of soy per day for adults could be part of a healthy diet."Eng, Monica. Soy in Illinois prison diets prompts lawsuit over health effects. Chicago Tribune. December 21, 2009. The academy states that to combat the obesity epidemic, adults and children need access to healthy foods, education on eating well, and preventative health services, including counselling by registered dietitian nutritionists.Spector, Kaye. Motivation, information needed to combat obesity, American Dietetic Association says. Cleveland Live. June 30, 2010.Obesity . Eat Right. They support the White House and Michelle Obama's efforts to end the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation.ADA Supports Michelle Obama's Childhood Obesity Initiative . Eat Right. The academy opposed mandated labelling of "trans fats" on food packaging.Squires, Sally. . The Washington Post. November 13, 1999. "This is one more thing on the food label," said Connie Diekman, a national spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, which opposes the regulation”