The Canadian Nutrition Society agrees in part with CMAJ’s editorial on how partnerships between health organizations and the food industry risk derailing public health nutrition.1 The editorial’s cautionary advice to health organizations on sponsorships and possible indirect influence on health promotion policies is wise. The medical community is now addressing pharma funding of continuing medical education.2 Little is gained, however, by vilifying the entire food industry, which has invested in nutrition research and strategies to effect changes in the food supply.
The agri-food industry has been doing considerable work to bridge the gap between food and health.3 The same cannot be said of the health care sector. If strides are to be made, the health care community must work with the food industry, not against it.