Using Documents to Uncover Food and Beverage Industry

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Industry In Their Own Words: Using Documents to Uncover Food and Beverage Industry Influence

Kate Tasker, UCSF Industry Documents LibraryDr. Cristin Kearns, UCSF School of Dentistry and Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy StudiesDr. Kim Nguyen, UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies Rachel Taketa, UCSF Industry Documents Library

MP 7.4 July 18, 2019

Industry Documents LibraryOverview

Kate Tasker, Industry Documents Library Archivist

Childhood Obesity Conference, Session MP 7.4

July 18, 2019

Industry Documents Library Overview | Childhood Obesity Conference | July 18, 20193

Outline

Origins of the UCSF Industry Documents Library Impact of Industry Documents Current collections The Food Industry Documents Archive



Library Origins


Truth Tobacco Industry Documents14,838,964 documents*

• Internal memoranda• Letters and emails • Slides & conference

proceedings• Board minutes • Unpublished scientific studies

*As of July 11, 2019

• Advertisements• Video & audio

recordings • Legal transcripts &

depositions• Webpages


Smoking and Health Proposal

Author Unknown. SMOKING AND HEALTH PROPOSAL. 1969. Brown & Williamson Records. https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/docs/jryf0138


Industry Documents Use

By:

• Scientists• Public health professionals• Journalists• Attorneys• Policymakers• Community advocates

For:

• Peer-reviewed research• Comments to FDA• Investigative articles• Trial preparation• Legislative background• Education


Impact

7+ million online visits

1,000+ publications

International community of public health researchers and policymakers

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/health/big-tobacco-kool-aid-sugar-obesity.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/health/big-tobacco-kool-aid-sugar-obesity.html


Current Collections

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IDL Document Collections

Industry Area Pages DocumentsTobacco (TTID) 90,338,831 14,838,964Drug (DIDA) 345,866 5,721Chemical (CIDA) 249,003 6,369Food (FIDA) 346,252 77,938Fossil Fuel (FoFIDA) 14,513 1,161

Total: 91,294,465 pages in 14,930,153 documents*

*As of July 11, 2019

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Tobacco


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Drug


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Chemical


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Food



Food Industry Documents Archive Launch

Symposium at UCSF in November 2018

Keynote speaker Dr. Marion Nestle

Recordings available online

https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/research-tools/public-lectures

https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/research-tools/public-lectures

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Fossil Fuel



Defending open access to documents for the public good Secure backup Long-term preservation Full-text search Document-level metadata Cross-searchable documents from Tobacco, Drug, Chemical,

Food, and Fossil Fuel collections

Commitment to Preservation and Access


Thanks to Our Advisors and Partners

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UCSF Library

UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education (CTCRE) and CTCRE Advisory Board

UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS)

UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) and Environmental Health Initiative (EHI)


Get in Touch

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www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu

@industrydocs

[email protected]

http://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/

https://twitter.com/industrydocs

mailto:[email protected]

Food Industry Documents ResearchA New Path for Addressing Root Causes of Non-Communicable Disease

Cristin Kearns, DDS, MBAAssistant Professor in ResidencePreventive and Restorative Dental SciencesUCSF School of DentistryPhilip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies

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“Increasing fiber and limiting saturated fats and salt will help control blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol.”

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Public Relations Society of America’s Silver Anvil Award

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PRSA application described FDA report as “highly supportive…. making it unlikely that sugar will be subject to legislative restriction in the coming years.

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Food Industry Documents: Locations

History of Sugar Association

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Food Industry Companies / Trade Groups

Coca-Cola PepsiCo Dr. Pepper General Foods General Mills Nabisco Hershey

International Life Sciences Institute

Nutrition Foundation National Soft Drink

Association American Beverage

Association National Confectioners

Association

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Food Industry Documents: Source Types

Old sugar company records Chemistry Nutrition science Food technology Agricultural science Industrial Ag/Food Trade Groups Consumer groups

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Food Industry Documents: Themes

Legislation / Regulation- Foods, food additives, supplements, Ag chemicals, labor, trade,

advertising/marketing

Influencing Public Opinion- Media, health opinion leaders, “sugar-using” industries, consuming public

Tobacco Research Organizations vs. Sugar Research Organizations

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HOW MUCH SUGAR DO YOU NEED? NONE!

-U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

1942

We must exert every effort to see that the low sugar diet of wartime does not become the habit in peacetime to come.

-Ody Lamborn, Sugar Broker

I organized and directed research projects in medical schools, hospitals, universities and colleges which exonerated sugar of most of the charges that had been laid against it.

The challenge of the present situation to the cigarette industry is so similar to that which I helped the sugar industry to meet, that I am tempted now to suggest that my experience and background may be useful… 1954

PR Technique #1: Cast Doubt

Accentuated inherent uncertainty of studies linking sucrose to CHD

Overstated certainty of body of evidence linking saturated fat to CHD

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PR Technique #2: Agenda Setting

Focus research on non-dietary interventions to prevent and control dental caries

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What did SRF know, and when?

Results suggested that:

- Gut microbiota may have a causal role in carbohydrate-induced hypertriglyceridemia

- Sucrose elevated an enzyme linked to bladder cancer

Results would have:

- Strengthened case that CHD risk of sucrose is greater than starch

- Likely caused sucrose to be scrutinized as a potential carcinogen

The most important work to be done is research…public relations activities must be continually fed with authentic scientific fodder. Without it, any information program will grind to halt.

-JW Tatem, 1975

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Food Industry Documents Archive: FutureMore than 500,000 additional pages identified

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Sugary Food and Beverage Industry Denormalization as a Public Health Strategy

What is the truth about the sugary food and beverage industry’s role in the NCD epidemic?

Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution?

Cross Industry Research: Leveraging Tobacco and Food Industry

Documents for Cancer Control

Kim Hanh Nguyen, ScD, MPHUniversity of California, San Francisco

Philip R Lee Institute for Health Policy StudiesCenter for Tobacco Control Research

Cross Industry Research: Leveraging Tobacco and Food Industry Documents for Obesity Prevention and

Control

US Obesity, 1960-2005

Lewis K.H., Basu S. (2016) Epidemiology of Obesity in the United States. In: Ahima R.S. (eds) Metabolic Syndrome. Springer, Cham

Roadmap

Overview industry documents research

Example 1: Tobacco-owned sugar-sweetened beverage lines

Example 2: Cross-industry transfer of minority marketing expertise

Implications for Obesity Prevention

Linking Archives to Unpack Collaborations between the Food and Tobacco Industries49



Why are there soda documents in the tobacco archive?

Starting in the 1960’s,tobacco companies starting buying food

companies.


“Essentially, soft drinks - like cigarettes and beer – are reasonably priced, relatively low-cost consumer items that give pleasure to users who repeat their purchases often when the quality of the product satisfies their expectations.”

- PM Annual Report 1978


“People can quit smoking and drinking [alcohol], but not eating.”

-PM CEO Hamish Maxwell, 1989

Unpacking Collaborations between the Food and Tobacco Industries55


“It is easy to characterize R.J. Reynolds merely as a tobacco company. In a broader and much less restricting sense, however, R.J. Reynolds is in the flavor business.”

- RJR’s Manager of Biochemical Research, 1962

Technology Transfer– (RJ Reynolds)

What about RJ Reynolds?

HAWAIIAN PUNCH

1950’S ADVERTISEMENTS

Linking Archives to Unpack Collaborations between the Food and Tobacco Industries 58


“The children preferred Hi-C Apple and the Red Apple over the Amber Apple drink. The housewives chose Amber over Red and Hi-C Apple over Amber.”

“discontinue further development of the Amber Apple product and…to introduce Red Apple.”

-1969, RJR Records

1966-1969

Hawaiian Punch Focus Groups


Punchy 1960s-1980s

What about Philip Morris?

Kool-Aid

Marketing “has been pretty well balanced between appeals to mom and to the kids. We’ve decided to focus our marketing on kids, where we know our strength is the greatest. This year, Kool-Aid will be the most heavily promoted kids trademark in America.”-1986, Philip Morris

Wacky Wild Warehouse

Wacky Wild Warehouse is “our version of the Marlboro Country

Store,” -1996

Kool-Aid Wacky Warehouse the “most effective kid’s marketing

vehicle known.”- 1992

Kool-Aid Flavors

Summary: Kid-Focused Marketing Transferred from Tobacco

Linking Archives to Unpack Collaborations between the Food and Tobacco Industries 65

Kid friendly flavors

Innovative packaging

Toys, games, and sweepstakes

Prizes & give-aways

Fun colors

Cartoons characters

TOBACCO COMPANIES MINORITY FOCUS OF CIGARETTE ADS

Philip Morris Tobacco

FOOD COMPANIES Mass Marketing Approach

A GF spokesperson argued that “market segmentation diverts funds and involves twice as much research and effort to launch as a national

campaign.”- Harvard Business Review, 1988


Tobacco Takeover (Philip Morris)“The General Foods Corporation, a part of the Philip Morris Companies, said yesterday that it would eliminate most of its corporate staff and create separate operating companies to run its three lines of business.”

-NYT, Aug 19,1987

“Philip Morris said Mr. Smith's position would not be filled. Instead, the heads of General Foods' three operating companies will report directly to Hamish Maxwell, chairman and chief executive of Philip Morris.”

-NYT, July 26, 1988

Philip Morris –Kraft General

FoodsSYNERGY

Minority MarketingKraft Foods 1999

Transfer from PM to Kraft

Minority Sponsorships

Goals for ethnic sponsorships were: “building business opportunities, creating awareness of brands, and establishing a ‘goodwill’ presence within the Black/Caribbean and Hispanic communities.”- Philip Morris,1989

Minority-targeted Event Sponsorships

cultural and music festivals

Corporate GivingMinority Leadership. Youth and Education

Summary of Minority Marketing

Transfer of minority marketing strategies

• ethnic media• corporate giving• event sponsorships

KGF fully integrated ethnic strategy

US Obesity, 1960-2005

Lewis K.H., Basu S. (2016) Epidemiology of Obesity in the United States. In: Ahima R.S. (eds) Metabolic Syndrome. Springer, Cham

Philip Morris acquired KGF

Implications

• Common set of strategies• Same entities

Tobacco and Food:

Commercial determinants of health

Policy and Community Action

Cross industry research needed

“The Perils of Ignoring History”~Kelly Brownell

1987-1997 2019

Searching the UCSF Food Industry Documents Archive

Rachel Taketa, MLISUCSF Industry Documents Library Specialist

UCSF Food Industry Documents Archive

Mission IDL collects documents from companies that flourish by

means of: - manipulative marketing- industry funded science to foster doubt about harms- influencing legislation meant to protect public health

Understand an industry’s strategies and you can counter them


- 17 collections

- 344,559 pages in 77,635 documents

- 4 person team

UCSF Food Industry Documents Archive –Launched in November 2018

What’s in FIDA?


• Letters• E-mails• Memos• Reports• Publications• Financial Documents

• Influential scientists• Food/Bev companies• Industry-funded professional

organizations & non-profits• Key trade groups

• Nutrition Foundation• American Beverage Assoc• Grocery Manufacturers Assoc

Demo

https://idl.ucsf.edu


https://idl.ucsf.edu/






obesity“sugar association”nutrition AND (partnership OR sponsorship)










@industrydocs

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https://idl.ucsf.edu/