Food industry’s interactions practices with nutrition professionals in Australia: a survey

OBJECTIVE: To identify interactions between the food, beverage, and nutrition supplement industry and nutrition professionals (NP) in Australia. DESIGN: The study employed a cross-sectional analysis of interactions by using an online survey including open and closed questions. SETTING: Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 156 practicing NPs were recorded, 118 of them included in the analysis, 86 of which were dietitians. RESULTS: Among respondents, 88 (75%) reported having previously received promotional material from industry and 74 (66%) have attended industry-sponsored educational events for professional development. 56 (47%) reported receiving gifts from industry in the past year. Of those that have received promotional or educational material, 11 (12%) found it not useful at all, while others declared it slightly to extremely useful. Further analysis revealed that professional bodies and networks acted as intermediaries between industry and NPs and that there were differences in judgement based on the specific industry they receive the material from. CONCLUSION: The Australian food, beverage, and nutrition supplement industry is attempting to actively engage with nutrition professionals to promote their products through trusted sources. NPs' opinions on this vary, and further research is needed to examine the scope and impact of these interactions.