In September, The Washington Post published an exposé shining a light on recent undisclosed paid social media partnerships between 11 influencers—seven registered dietitians (RDs), plus four others in health and fitness—on social media and American Beverage Association (ABA), a trade and lobbying group representing a range of drink companies such as PepsiCo and Coca-Cola.
The ABA’s motivation for paying these nutrition experts was simple: to downplay the potential negative health impacts of aspartame, a commonly-used ingredient in diet soda and artificially sweetened packaged foods. The campaign was reportedly a direct response to the World Health Organization (WHO), which, earlier in 2023, had recommended that people stop using artificial sweeteners like aspartame due to evidence of potential health risks, like type 2 diabetes, heart…
Read the full article originally published at www.wellandgood.com.