Trust and Integrity in Nutrition Science
The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) is committed to ensuring transparency and objectivity in our practices as a Society, as well as in the entire field of nutrition science.
We strive to work collaboratively with various stakeholders across sectors and disciplines while maintaining transparency and scientific rigor in nutrition science.
ASN is in the process of implementing the best practice recommendations to ensure better trust in ASN and nutrition science, with the help of an Implementation Advisory Group and ASN committees.
We appreciate the input of many nutrition stakeholders during this process.
Background
In 2016, the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) commissioned a Blue Ribbon Panel on “Ensuring Trust in Nutrition Science” to develop best practices regarding how to work collaboratively with various stakeholders across sectors and disciplines while maintaining transparency and scientific rigor in nutrition science to uphold the trust of all stakeholders.
These best practices apply to various stakeholders across industry, government, academia and other nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations within the field of nutrition and beyond. The best practices help to ensure transparency, objectivity, and comprehensiveness and guide the Society’s activities, as well as help ASN members and other nutrition scientists and researchers achieve the best nutrition science that maintains scientific rigor and transparency while ultimately benefiting public and individual health.
Read the RecommendationsTimeline of Events
April 2021
ASN Board of Directors approves the draft Model Disclosure Form and Guiding Principles for Membership documents, addressing member input received during the open feedback period.
January 2021
Draft “Guiding Principles for Membership” and Model Disclosure Form are released for ASN member review and feedback
November 2020
ASN Board of Directors approves the draft “Guiding Principles” documents, addressing member input received during the open feedback period.
July 2020
Draft “Guiding Principles” documents, developed by the Implementation Advisory Group, are released for ASN member review and feedback.
November 2019
An Implementation Advisory Group is named and begins work to implement each of the recommendations.
This work is ongoing at this time and stakeholder input will be accepted throughout at trust@nutrition.org
November 2019
An Implementation Advisory Group is named and begins work to implement each of the recommendations.
This work is ongoing at this time and stakeholder input will be accepted throughout at trust@nutrition.org
October 2019
The ASN Board of Directors approves implementation of each of the recommendations
Approval is based on ASN committee’s draft implementation plans developed with stakeholder feedback received. Find the implementation plan here.
June 2019
A Nutrition 2019 session is held to update attendees on the report and recommendations and to gather stakeholder input on implementation of the recommendations.
January-March 2019
ASN seeks stakeholder input regarding implementation of the report’s recommendations.
Internally, ASN committees review the recommendations and develop implementation plans
January 2019
Publication of the Blue Ribbon Panel’s report
The Panel’s report “Best Practices in Nutrition Science to Earn and Keep the Public’s Trust” and its recommendations, which are based on a comprehensive literature review, are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition along with accompanying commentary by Past President Catherine J. Field, “Ensuring Trust in Nutrition Science: Request for Stakeholder Input.”
June 2018
A Nutrition 2018 session is held to update attendees on the status of the project and to gather stakeholder input.
This presentation is freely available on ASN on Demand.
View PresentationApril 2016
Work of the Blue Ribbon Panel commences
An in-person kick-off meeting was held on April 25, 2016, following a March 2016 introductory conference call. Regular calls of the panel were held throughout 2016 and 2017, with an update provided to ASN members and other attendees during the April 2017 Experimental Biology meeting. The panel finished report writing in early 2018.
February 2016
ASN commissions an independent “Blue Ribbon Panel”
to review the current state of trust in nutrition science and to provide recommendations regarding how to work collaboratively with various stakeholders across sectors and disciplines while maintaining transparency and scientific rigor in nutrition science to uphold the trust of all stakeholders.
Recommendations
Recommendation #1:
ASN should develop a rigorous, transparent approach to co-sponsoring and managing all activities financially supported by “entities and/or individuals at interest.” Key to the second alternative are management approaches intended to minimize bias and enhance transparency such as the establishment of an independent advisory group reporting directly to the ASN Board and charged with reviewing proposed activities co-sponsored by entities and/or individuals at interest and the development and implementation of guidelines for avoiding conflicts of interests of individuals.
See the approved report, Guiding Principles for Relationships with Entities at Interest.
Recommendation #2:
ASN publications should include a front-of-the-publication label that describes three key study characteristics: 1) the type of evidence presented in the study (e.g. observational, RCT, discovery, mechanistic, etc.), 2) the study finding’s most proper use(s) (e.g., draw conclusions/inform policy, hypothesis generation, or increase basic knowledge) and 3) the quality of evidence (Low or Moderate or High based on specified GRADE criteria).
Recommendation #3:
ASN should bolster its efforts to engage the public and media in more effective dialogue among its members, the media, and the public.
Recommendation #4:
ASN should develop guidelines for its members in managing and conducting nutrition research funded by entities at interest – often those with a financial stake in the outcomes of the funded work.
See the approved report, Guiding Principles for Managing and Conducting Nutrition Research Funded by Entities at Interest.
Recommendation #5:
ASN should commission independent audits of its adherence to adopted policies and practices intended to heighten and maintain public trust in nutrition science.
Recommendation #6:
ASN should develop comprehensive conflict of interest disclosure statements that cover financial and other conflict of interest sources that serve as a model in nutrition science for use by its members, other stakeholder groups, and staff. See the approved Model Disclosure Form.
Outcomes
ASN Conflict of Interest Policy (August 2022)
Guiding Principles for Membership (Approved April 2021)
Model Disclosure Form (Approved April 2021)
Published Report in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Guiding Principles for Relationships with Entities at Interest (Approved November 2020)
Guiding Principles for Managing and Conducting Nutrition Research Funded by Entities at Interest (Approved November 2020)
Scientific Integrity
ASN was a member of a Scientific Integrity Consortium in 2019 that developed a report highlighting two scientific integrity overarching principles and nine best practices that can be used broadly across scientific disciplines as a mechanism for consensus on scientific integrity standards and to better equip scientists to operate in a rapidly changing research environment. View the Principles and Best Practices for Scientific Integrity.
Notes from Panel Discussions
Implementation Advisory Group Calls
Summary Notes from March 31, 2020 Call
Summary Notes from February 14, 2020 Call
Summary Notes from January 15, 2020 Call
Summary Notes from December 18, 2019 Call
Summary Notes from December 2, 2019 Call
Implementation Advisory Group Members
Regan Bailey, Ph.D., MPH, RD, CPH
Jamie I. Baum, Ph.D.
Robert Bertolo, Ph.D.
John E. Courtney, Ph.D. (ex-officio member)
Catherine Woteki, Ph.D.
Blue Ribbon Panel Group Calls
Summary notes from December 14, 2017 call
Summary notes from October 24, 2017 call
Summary notes from
September 26, 2017 call
Summary notes from August 9, 2017 call
Summary notes from July 17, 2017 callSummary notes from June 14, 2017 callSummary notes from April 10, 2017 call
Summary notes from March 20, 2017 callSummary notes from March 14, 2016 call
Summary notes from April 25, 2016 meeting
Summary notes from May 25, 2016 call
Summary notes from June 20, 2016 call
Summary notes from July 20, 2016 call
Summary notes from August 24, 2016 call
Summary notes from October 18, 2016 call
Blue Ribbon Panel Group Members
Cutberto Garza, MD, PhD (Chair)
Vinita Bali
Catherine Bertini
Eric Campbell, PhD
Edward Cooney, JD
Michael McGinnis, MD
Sylvia Rowe
Robert Steinbrook, MD
Catherine Woteki, PhD
Patrick Stover, PhD (ex-officio member)
John Courtney, PhD (ex-officio member)