yawiki.org entry for Center for Science in the Public Interest

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The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is a U.S. not-for-profit consumer organization headed by Michael Jacobson. Founded in 1971, CSPI's mission statement states that its twin missions are to "conduct innovative research and advocacy programs in health and nutrition and to provide consumers with current and useful information about their health and well-being." The CSPI lists its goals as:

To provide useful, objective information to the public and policymakers and to conduct research on food, alcohol, health, the environment, and other issues related to science and technology;

To represent the citizen's interests before regulatory, judicial, and legislative bodies on food, alcohol, health, the environment, and other issues; and

To ensure that science and technology are used for the public good and to encourage scientists to engage in public-interest activities.

CSPI is a section 501(c)(3) organization exempt from federal income tax. All contributions are tax-deductible as provided by law. The CSPI's chief source of income is its Nutrition Action Healthletter, which has 900,000 paid subscribers and accepts no advertising, and accepts no corporate or government grants, although it does receive grants from trade groups.Private foundation grants make up approximately 5-10 percent of CSPI's annual revenue of $15 million.

Center for Science in the Public Interest
Criticisms

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Criticisms

The Center for Consumer Freedom, a non-profit U.S. lobby group funded by the fast food, meat, and tobacco industries, criticize CSPI through one of its websites. CCF regards CSPI as part of the "food police". It claims that "(CSPI) and its founder, Michael F. Jacobson, are not as nice, sweet, and unbiased as CSPI's name might imply. CSPI routinely uses scare tactics justified by "junk science" and media theatrics as part of their ceaseless campaign for government regulation of your personal food choices." As a result, several critics of CSPI often refer to the organization as being in favor of a nanny state.

The Heartland Institute, a free-market oriented public policy think tank, says that "What makes officious nannies like CSPI so maddening is that they cloak their apparent goal of prohibition in the language of health advocacy. Some of the advice in the group's Nutrition Action Healthletter is perfectly sensible, but the remainder can be highly controversial."

Undue Influence, a website funded by Ron Arnold, vice-president of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, claims that "For 30 years CSPI has injected ideology, politics and fear-mongering into science to attack nearly every food product, every restaurant, and every cuisine on the market. Seeks power over the diet of all Americans through a "fat-tax" on hamburgers, french fries and soft drinks."

Bob Barr a former U.S. Congressman, while admitting he is "completely unqualified to issue scientific opinions", says that CSPI does not conduct research but carries out smear campaigns against scientists who publish research which contradicts their ideas. *

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