Why the Soda Lobby Was Happy... They Helped Write the Nutrition Rules

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Mar 26, 2010 at 22:27:01 PM PDT

U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, along with Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., today announced a major agreement between the food and beverage industry and public health and education groups on national school nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools.

Why is the junk food lobby at the table to make rules about nutrition? Would you have a criminal at the table to make laws about crime? The American Beverage Association, Coca Cola, Mars, Nestle, and PepsiCo were all included in negotiations for the new school lunch nutrition standards in Lincoln's child nutrition bill. Under the bill, the USDA will set one set of nutrition standards for all food sold in schools during the school day (including vending machines). This is a change from current laws, which forbid the USDA from setting rules over most food sold in schools outside of the federally-reimbursable school lunch (i.e. the meal served to kids who receive free lunch).

So here's the question: What did public health groups give up by negotiating with the junk food lobby? What do public health experts think the school nutrition standards should be, and how far apart is that from the actual language of the bill?  

Why is the Soda Lobby Happy?

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Mar 24, 2010 at 15:50:32 PM PDT

I realize that much of their spending is related to defeating a soda tax, but some of it is for school lunch and child nutrition programs too. They are scared shitless that Congress will ban vending machines from schools (a great idea!). Thus, they are promoting their own, voluntary, "self-regulation:"

The beverage industry is committed to the health and wellness of its consumers, including America's schoolchildren. Just this month, we announced the remarkable results of the final progress report on the implementation of our School Beverage Guidelines. The report shows that, when it comes to beverages, it's a whole new day in America's schools. In fact, we've removed full-calorie soft drinks and slashed beverage calories available in schools by 88 percent!

They don't mind cutting the calories because the same companies that sell soda (and diet soda) also sell water, juice, and sports drinks. So long as schools have vending machines with ANYTHING in them, these companies make money. Removing the calories doesn't harm the bottom line, but removing the vending machines does.

What I want to know is: what's in the Senate bill that the ABA likes so much? I've emailed the Center for Science in the Public Interest to see if they know anything. Also, I've included more on the ABA's lobbying below.

One of the Top White House Visitors? Chamber of Commerce

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Nov 26, 2009 at 18:07:41 PM PST

whose organization has complained bitterly of being left out of energy, health-care and financial reform efforts and who is leading opposition to White House plans on those issues. Donohue nonetheless visited the White House nearly a dozen times from February to June, including three encounters with the president, the records show.

I don't even see how they have the nerve to complain. Left out? You're having personal meetings with the president! That's far more than the rest of America gets. Not only that, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is ROUTINELY the top spender on lobbying. In the first quarter of this year, they spent nearly $10 million. I guess they felt so "left out" that by the third quarter, they more than tripled spending to equal over $34 million. That's a lot of money, all spent on convincing our government to act against the welfare and wishes of the American people.

How To Dig Up Lobbying & Lobbyist Info - Part 1

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 13:04:55 PM PST

American Beverage Association Lobbying

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Nov 08, 2009 at 21:42:08 PM PST

Top Spenders on Lobbying Q3 2009

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Nov 08, 2009 at 13:56:35 PM PST

More Lobbying News: This is Not Good

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Jul 05, 2009 at 23:53:16 PM PDT

In addition to his work for his firm, Paul was elected as the youngest President of the American League of Lobbyists, the national association representing the lobbying profession...

Paul was also instrumental in shaping the debate on lobbying reform in 2006 and 2007. As chief spokesman and lobbyist for the profession, Paul met with leaders from both parties on the issue of reform. He has appeared before both the House and Senate and has appeared on most television programs educating the public on the issue of lobbying and proposed changes to the Lobbying Disclosure Act. He has been a tireless champion in the fight to protect every citizen's right to petition their government through lobbying activities.

Anyone else see a problem with that?

Why American Policy SUCKS

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Jun 18, 2009 at 17:23:20 PM PDT

I pulled up all of the reports for first quarter 2009 but over 20,000 items came up (and the report only shows the first 3000). OK, try again - all reports for over $1 million for first quarter 2009. This time a little over 100 came up (including AIG, who spent $1,250,000 on lobbying during that period).

So here's how to read this list: These are the amounts spent by the corporations listed. However, many (if not most) of these corporations ALSO contract out to private lobbying firms, so the amounts you see here MIGHT not be the total amount they spent on lobbying in Q109. For example, Monsanto spent $2,094,000 for its in house lobbying but then contracted out to Arent Fox LLP; Lesher, Russell & Barron, Inc. ($60,000); Ogilvy Government Relations ($60,000); Parven Pomper Strategies ($40,000); Sidley Austin LLP; TCH Group, LLC ($50,000); The Nickles Group, LLC ($63,000); The Washington Tax Group, LLC ($40,000); and Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group ($30,000) - for a total of $2,437,000 in first quarter 2009.

Health Care, Health Insurance, & Pharma
3. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America: $6,910,000
6. Pfizer, Inc: $6,140,000
12. American Medical Association: $4,240,000
18. American Hospital Association: $3,580,000
19. Eli Lilly and Company: $3,440,000
37. America's Health Insurance Plans, Inc: $2,030,000
39. CVS Caremark Inc: $2,005,000
47. Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association: $1,800,000
49. GlaxoSmithKline: $1,780,000
63. Merck & Co: $1,500,000
65. United Health Group, Inc: $1,500,000
69. Sanofi-Aventis U.S. Inc: $1,460,000
76. Novartis: $1,347,134
87. Abbott Laboratories: $1,260,000
89. Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP: $1,250,000
92. Medtronic, Inc: $1,238,000

Oil
2. Exxon Mobil: $9,320,000
4. Chevron U.S.A. Inc: $6,800,000
7. Conoco Phillips: $5,980,935
16. BP America, Inc: $3,610,000
20. Marathon Oil Corporation: $3,380,000
45. American Petroleum Institute: $1,810,000

Defense
5. Lockheed Martin Corporation: $6,380,000
11. General Electric Company: $4,540,000
28. Northrop Grumman Corporation: $2,570,000
30. Boeing Company: $2,410,00
51. Honeywell International: $1,760,000
73. Raytheon Company: $1,360,000

Telecoms
10. AT&T Services, Inc: $5,134,873
14. Verizon (excluding Verizon Wireless): $3,760,000
21. National Cable and Telecommunications Association: $3,370,000
23. Comcast Corporation: $2,760,000
68. Motorola, Inc: $1,470,000

Automotive
22. General Motors: $2,800,000
27. United Services Automobile Association: $2,590,244
52. Ford Motor Company: $1,750,000
84. Toyota Motor North America: $1,290,000
86. Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers: $1,264,400

Financial
32. Financial Services Roundtable: $2,260,000
33. Prudential Financial, Inc: $2,180,000
41. American Bankers Association: $1,890,000
61. Visa, Inc: $1,540,000
74. Investment Company Institute: $1,359,917
75. Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association: $1,350,000
82. J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.: $1,310,000
90. Citigroup Management Corp: $1,250,000
90. Credit Union National Association: $1,250,000

Biotech
36. Monsanto: $2,094,000
40. Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO): $1,920,000
44. Bayer Corporation: $1,843,672

Railroads
24. Association of American Railroads: $2,759,545
54. Union Pacific Corporation: $1,717,108
71. BNSF Railway: $1,400,000

Life Insurance
42. American Council of Life Insurers: $1,867,075
44. New York Life Insurance Company: $1,840,000
64. State Farm Insurance: $1,500,000
93. The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company: $1,237,000

Other
1. Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A.: $9,996,000
8. National Association of Realtors: $5,727,000
9. U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform: $5,480,000
13. AARP: $4,090,000
15. Southern Company: $3,650,000
17. Altria Client Services Inc: $3,580,000
25. Amgen, Inc: $2,750,000
26. National Association of Broadcasters: $2,600,000
29. Edison Electric Institute: $2,550,000
31. Fedex Corporation: $2,370,000
34. Textron, Inc.: $2,140,000
35. General Dynamics Corp: $2,101,945
38. International Business Machines (IBM): $2,030,000
43. United Technologies Corporation: $1,860,000
46. Recording Industry Association of America: $1,810,000
48. CTIA-The Wireless Association: $1,790,000
50. Time Warner Inc. $1,780,000
53. The Dow Chemical Company: $1,735,000
55. American Electric Power Company: $1,716,913
56. Microsoft Corporation: $1,650,000
57. Qualcomm, Incorporated: $1,620,000
58. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc: $1,600,000
59. L-3 Communications: $1,580,000
60. Exelon Business Services, LLC: $1,540,000
62. Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc: $1,530,000
66. Norfolk Southern Corporation: $1,485,026
67. Koch Companies Public Sector LLC: $1,480,000
70. American Airlines: $1,450,000
72. Oracle Corporation: $1,390,000
77. Air Transport Association of America, Inc.: $1,340,000
78. Disney Worldwide Services, Inc.: $1,330,000
79. Sepracor, Inc: $1,324,157
80. National Association of Home Builders: $1,320,000
81. UPS: $1,316,426
83. Siemens Corporation: $1,300,000
85. Duke Energy Corporation: $1,282,770
94. Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S., Inc: $1,230,000
95. Business Roundtable: $1,220,000
96. Wellpoint, Inc: $1,220,000
97. American Wind Energy Association: $1,212,504
98. F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: $1,206,427
99. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association: $1,200,000
99. CBS Corporation: $1,200,000

(Update: I removed a typo for one company whose report says $990,000,000 making them the #1 spender on lobbying... turns out they spent $990,000)

Monsanto Spent Over $2 Million on Lobbying in Q1 2009

by: Jill Richardson

Thu May 28, 2009 at 16:09:10 PM PDT

Back in April, I posted a diary called The Bad Guys' Plan to Feed the Hungry in which I referred to S.384, the Global Food Security Act, as "the REAL Monsanto bill." It was a reference to a nickname given to the bill by the Organic Consumers Association.

To my great surprise, Monsanto dropped by this blog to let me know that they had nothing to do with the bill. Nothing at all! JohnatMonsanto said:

The Lugar-Casey Global Food Security Act does not direct funding to Monsanto and we have made no request for it to do so.

Brad from Monsanto said:

Further, Monsanto was not involved in the drafting of this bill, and while Monsanto shares the belief with the bill's authors that technology can help lift people from poverty, we would not benefit directly from the passage of this bill.

Given the recent fiasco with failed attempts to portray HR 875 as a Monsanto-sponsored bill I'm surprised at your involvement in the attempt to mis-portray S 384 as a Monsanto bill as well.

Well, a quick look at Monsanto's first quarter 2009 lobbying report gives us the truth. They spent $2,094,000 on lobbying. Among their issues were:

General Issue area code: AGR AGRICULTURE

Specific lobbying issues:
Biotech acceptance
Crop insurance/Biotech yield endorsement
USDA Rulemaking - 7CFR Part 340

House(s) of Congress and Federal Agencies:
U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, White House Office, State - Dept of (DOS), Agriculture - Dept of (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

General Issue area code: FOO Food industry (Safety, Labeling, etc)

Specific lobbying issues:
Biotechnology acceptance
S. 384- Global Food Security Act of 2009
Sustainable Yield Initiative

House(s) of Congress and Federal Agencies
U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Agriculture - Dept of (USDA)

There goes that claim that Monsanto has nothing to do with S.384. However, it does prove (as I've been saying all along) that Monsanto had nothing to do with H.R.875.

Big Food is FOR Food Safety Regulations?

by: Jill Richardson

Thu May 28, 2009 at 04:00:00 AM PDT

To take stock of the fight we're going to have, I began digging around lobbying records. Who's for what, and how much money are they spending. Let's see here:

Company	Amount (Total Lobbying, Not Just Food Safety) First quarter 2009 only
Food Marketing Institute Kraft Foods Grocery Manufacturers Association Nestle Sodexo Miller/Coors National Restaurant Association 3M PepsiCo Safeway General Mills Consumers Union Center for Science in the Public Interest	$1,063,000 $770,000 $720,000 $616,843 $590,000 $550,000 $447,000 $400,000 $430,000 $350,000 $240,000 $80,000 $32,983

But wait! Before you get worried that industry is outspending consumer advocacy groups and the lobbyists are trying to kill this legislation - apparently Kraft, Kellogg, and General Mills are now FOR food safety reform! Even the Grocery Manufacturers sound open to it. My hunch? First of all, these guys see the changes coming down the pike no matter what. They want to sound agreeable so that they can make sure that whatever reform occurs is to their own liking.

And second of all, they lost a lot of money from the peanut butter incident. So in that sense, they really DO want safe food. But in the hearings thus far, they definitely sounded hesitant about how much regulation they were actually interested in. Kellogg sounded particularly uncomfortable with unannounced inspections, user fees paid to the FDA to cover the cost of inspections, and microbial testing for pathogens. Remember, their #1 priority isn't food safety, it's profit. They are only interested in food safety as a means to that end.

UPDATE: Here's what the Grocery Manufacturers has to say about the food safety bill:

The Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents the food industry, supports much of the legislation but objects to a $1,000 annual registration fee that would be required of all food facilities to help pay for the FDA's increased oversight. The association also objects to some of the tracing requirements, saying they would create a financial burden.