Kraft Timeline Details

March 12, 2015: New York Times Article

A Cheese Product Gains Kids Nutrition Seal
On March 12, 2015, New York Times blogger Stephanie Strom was the first reporter to
discuss the agreement between the Academy and Kraft and the issue of corporate sponsorship.
She wrote that Kraft is the first company to earn a nutrition seal [from the Academy]. The
seal reads Proud Supporter of Kids Eat Right, and would appear on packages of Kraft Singles
beginning April 1, 2015. The collaboration was to last for three years to promote awareness and
education on the need for calcium and Vitamin D in children's diets. Strom interviewed blogger
Casey Hinds and dietitian Andy Bellati of Dietitians for Professional Integrity, who both referred
to the Kids Eat Right seal as an endorsement, however Mary Beth Whalen, Chief Operating
Officer of the Academy, stated that the label is not an endorsement. She stated that the label is
meant to communicate that Kraft is a supporter of Kids Eat Right and promotes the Kids Eat
Right website.

March 13, 2015: ABC News Reporter Sydney Lupkin Reveals Financial Relationship Between
Kraft and the Academy
Sydney Lupkin of ABC news revealed on March 13th that
Kraft had paid the Academy an
undisclosed amount of money for permission to place the Kids Eat Right seal on their packages
.
According to Academy spokesperson Ryan OMalley, Kraft placing the Kids Eat Right seal on its
packaging was meant to communicate that Kraft is a proud supporter of Kids Eat Right, NOT
that the Academy is giving their seal of approval to Kraft Singles.
In essence, the Academy viewed the logo as an advertisement
for the Kids Eat Right website,

but Lupkin pointed out that Kraft paying the Academy to allow the Academy to place the seal is
a reversal of how advertisements usually work. Lupkin raised concern that consumers may view
the logo as an endorsement for Kraft Singles, regardless of the Academys intention to promote
the Kids Eat Right website.
March 13, 2015:
The

Academy Of Nutrition And Dietetics Foundation Releases Public

Statement
on 'Kids Eat Right' Nutrition Education Campaign
On the same day, the Academy issued a press release that stated that the Kids Eat Right
logo on Kraft Singles is NOT an endorsement nor a nutritional seal of approval. The Academy
emphasized that they do not endorse any brands, services or products, and that the logo seeks
to communicate that Kraft is a supporter of Kids Eat Right. Their goal was to promote the Kids
Eat Right website, inform the public of the need for children to consume adequate amounts of
Vitamin D and calcium, and provide resources to encourage families to make good health
decisions.
By the end of the day on March 13, the story had gone viral, appearing in blogs and
news articles all over the internet, highlighting the issue of corporate sponsorship decisions
within the Academy. Many dietitians, health professionals and news organizations perceived

the Kids Eat Right seal as an endorsement for Kraft Singles, and returned with immediate
protest.
March 14, 2015: Dietitians for Professional Integrity Posts
Form Letter
on Facebook Page
Calling for Action
Andy Bellati, of Dietitians for Professional Integrity, which is a group of Registered
Dietitians who do not support the Academys current sponsorship model, along with the help of
RD Ashley Colpaart encouraged dietitians to contact the Academy leadership and their
respective House of Delegates representatives to inform them of their disapproval of the
agreement between Kraft and Kids Eat Right. They posted a form letter on the Dietitians for
Professional Integrity facebook page, stating that both dietitians and the public perceived the
seal as an endorsement; many members feel that their reputation is eroding in the eyes of the
public as a result of the Academys corporate partnerships, and that such partnerships are
compromising the ability of the dietitian to promote nutrition. The letter urged the Academy to
become independent of the influence of of the food industry and change to a method of
fundraising that does not compromise the image of Registered Dietitians, or cause dietitians to
uncomfortably defend the Academy.
March 16, 2015: Change.org Petition:
#RepealTheSeal
By March 16th, Dietitians Rachel Begun, Regan Jones and Kate Geagan had collaborated to
create a change.org petition called #RepealTheSeal. Each dietitian had previously attempted to
contact the Academy formally in similar circumstances, but they had received little response, so
they deemed it time to make the issue public by taking it to change.org with the goal of
iproving the credibility of the profession. The #RepealTheSeal petition contained an open letter
to the Academy that objected to the Academys decision to allow the Kids Eat Right seal on
Kraft Singles, and rejected the Academys rationale that the seal was not an endorsement. The
letter stated that the decision to allow the Kids Eat Right logo signified an endorsement and a
display of a paid relationship, that it placed the RD credential at risk of decreased credibility,
and that it goes against the Academys own ethics policy, which prevents members from
engaging in misleading or false communications while operating under a high standard of
integrity and honesty. In addition, the petition requested several items from the Academy:
Provide complete transparency on the terms and process that lead up to the agreement
with the Academy, along with the meeting minutes, the names of people who
contributed to the agreement, and the result of the board vote on the issue.
Reveal the the terms of the financially based agreement between Kraft and Kids Eat
Right
Disclose the plans for future uses of the Kids Eat Right insignia.
Reveal the intended plan for the termination of the agreement with Kraft
Provide the plans for retracting the Kids Eat Right logo from Kraft Singles packages.

March 17, 2015 Dietitians in Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine Dietetic
Practice Group Sends Email Seeking Member Feedback, Provides Academy Talking Points
Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine Dietetics Practice Group (DIFM DPG) is a
professional interest group in which one of the authors is a member. Dana Elia, the Member
Services Chair, sent an email on March 17, 2015 seeking member feedback on the collaboration
between the Academy and Kraft. The email expressed concern for its members opinions, and
provided two questions in which members were asked to respond:
House of delegates Needs Input from You!
1. Have you, your students, or your affiliate or DPG been impacted by sponsorship?
2. How do you view corporate sponsorship (identify pros and cons)?
The the Academy House of Delegates is scheduled to meet on May 2 and 3 of 2015 and was
already planning on discussing the issue of corporate sponsorship.
The email provided a link to
the
Spring 2015 House of delegates Meeting Materials
and several links to further information,
including a link to a video message from Academy President Sonja Connor and the Kids Eat
Right website. Both links were unavailable as of April 7, 2015, when we were reviewing the
information. The email communicated the Academys position on the matter, which stated that
the agreement with Kraft is meant to increase public awareness of the need for calcium and
vitamin D in children's diets and drive consumers to the Kids Eat Right website. The Academy
emphasized that the nature and purpose of this collaboration have been seriously
misrepresented in
Stephanie Stroms New York Times Article
on March 12,2015, and provided
talking points and suggested tweets for Academy members to spread. According to the
Academy:
This collaboration does not constitute any endorsement or nutritional seal of
approval
by the Academy, its Foundation or Kids Eat Right of this or any
product.
It is the Academy's policy never to endorse any products, brands or services.
The Kids Eat Right logo on KRAFT Singles packaging
simply identifies the brand
as a proud supporter of Kids Eat Right.
Kids Eat Right has been supported by numerous organizations -for-profit,
nonprofit and government - and this collaboration is no different.
It is important to note that the
actual language on the package merely
identifies KRAFT Singles as a Proud Supporter of Kids Eat Right
(similar to
such initiatives as Heart Truth Campaign and NHLBI, and Lids for Lives and
breast cancer).
The Academy is working with Kraft to obtain a
correction or retraction
of the
story by the Times.
The Academy is also contacting other media outlets, who are following up on
this story, to tell them the Times story is not accurate, that there is no
endorsement, and to give them the facts about the collaboration.
Talking Points:

 Please help us spread the accurate word about Kids Eat Right to your
colleagues, clients and friends.
Below are some suggested tweets you may wish to use or adapt to provide
accurate information via social media. They include a link to the Academy's
press release on this issue, which is being distributed Friday afternoon to the
media and online.
Setting the record straight, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
does not endorse any brands or products.
http://sm.eatright.org/Kids
Eat RightPR
Contrary to recently published reports, the Academy's collaboration
with Kraft is not an endorsement or seal of approval.
http://sm.eatright.org/Kids Eat RightPR
Get the facts: The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics does not
endorse or give seals of approval to products or brands.
http://sm.eatright.org/Kids Eat RightPR
Press release: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics'collaboration with
Kraft is not endorsement or seal of approval.
http://sm.eatright.org/Kids Eat RightPR
March 17,2015: Email from Academy CEO Patricia Babjak to Academy Members
Patricia Babjak, the Chief Executive Officer of the Academy, sent an email to members on
March 17, 2015, apologizing for the concerns and perceptions caused by the collaboration with
Kraft. She communicated that the Academy was hearing member voices, interested in receiving
opinions on the matter and was working towards finding a solution. She re-emphasized the
position that the Academy was misrepresented in the New York Times, and that the Kids Eat
Right logo was not a mark of approval and endorsement. She wrote that the Academy was
working to establish a joint, member-driven advisory panel that will work with the Board of
Directors to communicate, obtain input on member issues, provide feedback, and make specific
recommendations. Babjak encouraged members to reach out to their respective House of
delegates Representatives with their thoughts.
March 17, 2015: Jon Stewarts
Snacks of Life
Bit Airs on the Daily Show
On March 17, Jon Stewart, famous comedian and host of the Daily Show, did a bit on the
standard American diet,which contained a section addressing the collaboration between Kids
Eat Right and Kraft. By April 10, the video on the Daily Shows website had received 109,842
views, and 193,321 views on Youtube.
March 18, 2015: The Greater New York Dietetic Association (GNYDA) Publishes a
Facebook
Post
Encouraging Members and Followers to sign the #RepealTheSeal Petition
The Greater New York Dietetic Association posted on their facebook page on March 18, stating
that after receiving many concerned messages from their members, the Board of Directors
reviewed the issue, and all of the Board members were in support of taking action to review

sponsorship within the New York State Dietetic Association. In addition, they encouraged their
members to sign the #RepealTheSeal petition and sent a letter to the Academy communicating
member opinions, and that Association, as an affiliate of the Academy, was not comfortable
with repeating the talking points that the Academy had previously issued regarding the Kraft
Initiative.
March 21, 2015:
Dietitians for Professional Integrity Facebook Update
On March 21, Dietitians for Professional Integrity stated on their facebook page that by this
date, that the Academy had not provided very much new information except for two tweets:
one saying that a dialogue is in process, and another that the Board is appreciative of the
integrity and concern expressed by members for the health of the public regarding the Kids Eat
Right initiative. It had been nine days since the original New York Times News Article,
#RepealTheSeal had received almost 10,000 signatures, and to them, it did not seem to them
like the Academy was expressing any kind of urgency on the matter.
March 23, 2015: Wall Street Journal Article on the Academy Negotiating Deal to End Labeling
On March 23, Wall Street Journal reporter Tennille Tracy published an article titled
Eat Right
Meltdown for Kraft Singles: Company, Public Health Group Hold Talks on Kids Eat Right Logo
,
detailing the background and the backlash produced by the initiative, and revealing that the
Academy was in discussion with Kraft to figure out how to proceed with the Kids Eat Right
agreement. Academy spokesman Ryan OMalley was quoted stating that the Academy was
working towards changing perceptions of endorsement. According to
the Academys website,
the Academy is aware of the necessity to abstain from communicating the perception of a
conflict of interest- the Academy seeks to only to promote the credibility and will not allow for
commercial use of the name and insignia that would disturb the reputation of its members.
Marion Nestle said in an interview that this entire situation showcases the risk that nutrition
and public health groups take when they have financial relationships with food companies.
The Academy has become a laughingstock. Its viewpoints are so tainted; theyre so deeply
influenced by their sponsors that its hard to take them seriously.
Again, the Academy emphasized that the initiative was not an endorsement, rather a move to
spread the word that vitamin D and calcium are lacking in childrens diets, and the Academy
National Education Director Katie Brown declined to reveal the amount of grant money
provided to the Academy by Kraft. According to the article, during fiscal year 2014, other
sponsors, including General Mills, PepsiCo, Unilever, Kellogg, and ConAgra Foods each
contributed $10,000 or more to the Academy.
March 24, 2015:
Email from Phyllis Woodson, VA Delegate
Virginia House of Delegates Delegate Phyllis Woodson wrote to Virginia Dietetic Association
members on March 24 providing background information on
the Academy guidelines for
industry projects
and requesting feedback from members on the issue prior to the House of

delegates meeting in May. Woodson iterated that although the Academy stated that the Kraft
initiative was not an endorsement, many members perceive it as such. Members have
recommended forming a panel to address all sponsorship initiatives to determine if they align
with the Academys mission, signing the #RepealTheSeal petition, and even declining to renew
their memberships. Woodson asked the members to respond with answers to the following
questions:
"How do we evolve our existing sponsorship program to further the mission, vision, and
goals of the Academy while safeguarding the Academy's reputation and integrity?"
"Have you, your students or your affiliate or DPG been impacted by sponsorship?"
"How do you view corporate sponsorship (identify pros and cons)?"
The Academys
Working Guidelines for Industry Projects
is a member-only access page that
states that the Academy is open to industry relationships that assist in fulfilling its mission and
vision. Industry partner messages must be in line with sound science and align with the
Academys positions. They may provide Academy-approved education to members and public
messages in order to reach a broader audience than the Academy could reach itself. If the
sponsor is able to meet these guidelines, the Academy may sometimes provide a restricted
license that will allow the sponsor to use the Academy name and logo to communicate the
Academys approval and support of individual Academy-pre approved messages. Formal
partnerships with industry sponsors are intended to prevent any unnecessary industry
influence or situations of conflict of interest. The website states that the Academy always
reveals the source of financial support on materials with the Academy name when they are
funded by industry sponsors, and the Academy is careful to avoid even a perception of conflict
of interest and to act at all times in ways that will only enhance the credibility and professional
recognition of the Academy and its members[and] will authorize no commercial use of the
name and logo that would diminish that value or damage that reputation. At the end, the page
includes a section that communicates that the Academy does not emphasize on particular food
or meal, but rather that a healthy diet is related to the overall pattern of foods consumed, and
all foods may be included in a good diet if eaten if eaten in moderation with regular physical
activity.
March 24,2015:
Email from Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine Dietetic Practice
Group Requesting Feedback
In their email on March 24, the Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine Executive
Committee wrote that they have received a number member communications that reflected
strong objections to the Kraft initiative and concerns over the Academys corporate sponsorship
policies. The Committee felt that there are many conflicting problems with corporate
sponsorship that have caused the profession and the RDN to be undermined and discredited,
and emphasized that they are in process to begin change by increasing open communication
with DIFM members and working to represent member values. The Committee referred to the
matter as divisive and disturbing, and stated that they are committed to restoring faith in

the profession and credibility to the RDN brand. They encouraged members to continue to
contact the House of Delegates with their views.
March 25, 2015:
Email Update
from Academy President Sonja Connor
On March 25, Academy President Sonja Connor sent a brief email to Academy members to say
that Foundation Board and the Academy are listening to member views and concerns, and that
they would be meeting the same week to discuss the issue. She reminded members that the
House of Delegates will also be addressing the issue of corporate sponsorship and considering
member recommendations at the meeting in May.
March 25, 2015: #RepealTheSeal Update
In reference to Tennille Tracys March 23 Wall Street Journal article that revealed that the
Academy was in discussion with Kraft to terminate the agreement, Jones, Begun and Geagan
wrote on on their change.org page on March 23rd that the Academys statement of working
towards changing any perceptions of endorsement sounded more like the Academy was only
rationalizing their decision on the label and not working towards the requests set forth in the
petition (which by this date had received greater than 11,000 signatures). The authors
encouraged signers of the petition to continue to pressure the Academy by writing to their
respective Dietetic Practice Group and state leadership to request that the petition be
addressed right now, rather than pushing the issue back to later meetings.
March 26, 2015:
Hunger and Environmental Dietetics Practice Group Releases
Spring 2015
House of Delegate Member Feedback Survey
March 27, 2015:
Dietitians for Professional Integrity on Corporate Sponsorships
Dietitians for Professional Integrity posted on their Facebook page a
critique
of the Academys
Guidelines for Corporate Relations Sponsors
, which bears very similar verbiage to the
Working
Guidelines for Industry Projects
. The Academys page says that they are mindful of the need to
avoid a perception of conflict of interest, and to act at all times in ways that will only enhance
the credibility and professional recognition of the Academy and its members...the Academy will
authorize no commercial use of the name and logo that would diminish that value or damage
that reputation. Dietitians for Professional Integrity suggested that the Kraft initiative is in
violation of these guidelines and that, in the past, the Academy has not prioritized the concerns
of its members over corporate sponsorships.
March 30,2015:
Email from Academy President Sonja Connor on Decision to Terminate Deal
with Kraft
Connor disclosed on March 30th that the Academy and Kraft were currently in discussions to
end the contract for the Kraft/Kids Eat Right initiative. She explained that it could not be
immediate, and that some aspects of the program were already in the works. The label would
still appear on some packages of Kraft Singles in stores on April 1, 2015, but the Academy is

working with Kraft to decrease the amount of time that the logo would be on the shelves.
According to Connor, the Academy deeply regrets the circumstances that have lead to the
pending termination of this initiative. She re-emphasized that the original plan was to increase
awareness of the necessity of calcium and vitamin D, and they never intended it to be an
endorsement of the cheese product, which is strictly prohibited by our policy and is expressly
included in all contracts. The Academy is working to make sure that such an issue does not
arise in the future, and they will communicate with the House of Delegates and members to
increase transparency and professionality.
March 30, 2015: New York Times Reporter Stephanie Strom:
Dietitians Group Negotiating to
End Labeling Deal with Kraft Singles
March 31, 2015:
Email from the Virginia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
The latest VAND email expressed appreciation for member input and provided a link to
a short
essay on the
background of Kids Eat Right
by Neva Cochran, a Nutrition Communications

Consultant and RD who is a former Chair and member of the Academy Foundation Board. She
explained that Kids Eat Right is a joint initiative of the Academy and the Academy Foundation,
which is a 501c3 charitable organization that provides scholarships, awards and research
grants. Because the Academy Foundation is a separate entity from the Academy, decisions
made by the Academy Foundation do not undergo a member vote. The Kids Eat Right campaign
is an outreach program which is not funded by member dues, rather, by donations, and has to
seek outside funding because only 5% of donations come from individual Academy members.
She writes that without support from food companies, much of the the work that the
Foundation does would not happen. Cochran provided a list of positive things that Kids Eat
Right has done in the recent years, and added that 80% of families already purchase Kraft
Singles, so she doubted that the Kids Eat Right label would cause more people to purchase the
product, rather, it would raise interest in the Kids Eat Right website, as planned by the
Academy. She emphasized that if even a few families visited the website, it would be very
beneficial for their health.
April 1, 2015:
#RepealTheSeal Authors Thank the Academy for their Decision to Repeal the
Seal
On April 1st, Jones, Begun and Geagan posted to their change.org page on April 1 to thank AND
for responding to their petition by terminating the deal with Kraft and to thank all those who
signed the petition. They appreciated the Academys willingness to listen to member concerns
and their promise to
engage with the Academy House of Delegates and with all Academy
members on future initiatives to promote healthful foods and nutrition in the most
professional, ethical and transparent manner possible. The authors stated that they believe
that this will ultimately improve the profession, the Academy, and the publics trust in
dietitians.
April 9, 2015: Email Update from Academy President Sonja Connor

Academy President Sonja Connor stated in an email on April 9th that since the last update, the
Academy has received many questions from members, and that she will regularly send updates
as the they move forward with the termination of the collaboration with Kraft. She addressed
two questions: Why wasnt the termination process more immediate? and How is the
Academy going to move forward?
She answered the first question by explaining that the cancellation process requires some
discussion between the legal departments of the Academy and Kraft. They are indeed in the
process of termination, and she will notify members when it is complete. The Academy will
continue to move forward with empowering families to make healthy decisions by providing
education and positive messages through the Kids Eat Right website. The email closed by
encouraging members to continue to contact their delegates with suggestions and concerns.
May 2, 3, 2015: Stand by for an update: The House of Delegates Plans to Address the Issue of
Corporate Sponsorships
Finally, The House of Delegates will conduct its spring 2015 meeting on May 2 and 3, 2015. The
House of Delegates has recently decided to discuss the Academy's Corporate Sponsorship
Program on both days of the meeting. The dialogues and outcomes from the meeting will be
posted for members to view in mid May.
Conclusion
In addition to the numerous news articles on the Kraft/Kids Eat Right agreement and the
petition receiving 11,947 signatures, the #RepealTheSeal hashtag was shared to greater than
1.7 million twitter accounts, which they estimate amounts to around 5 million impressions.
Greater than 40 nutrition professionals wrote blog posts on the issue, and they believe this
reached tens of millions of readers. One person commented on change.org that they had
spoken on a radio program discussing the issue, reaching many more listeners. If the reader has
any questions on how media affects policy and vice versa in dietetics, this is a prime example:
within two and a half weeks, through media, dietitians, health professionals and laypeople
were able to influence the Academys decision to partner with Kraft. We are hopeful that this
event will cause continued review of corporate sponsorships within the Academy and other
health organizations, and encourage you to get involved in advocacy!