Junk Science/Twisted Economics

Yesterday's lead article in the New York Times on the fight over minimum wage laws ties back to research at USC on the content of soft drinks.  At issue is the use of private institutes to bolster the case for political causes. 

"For example, an academic study published by researchers at the University of Southern California concluded that soda had higher concentrations of high-fructose corn syrup than advertised. Mr. Berman’s team, hired by the corn refining industry to defend its sweeteners, mobilized staff at his Center for Consumer Freedom to challenge the results.

“If the results contradict U.S.C., we can publish them,” said an email sent to Mr. Berman and other staff in October 2010 from a Berman employee at the time, referring to the University of Southern California report."

 

USC's work was led by Michael Goran of the Childhood Obesity Research Center. 

 

But it's not just the work of private institutes that's getting attention.  The Chronicle of Higher Education cites a myriad of conflicts surrounding work at UCLA on the health benefits of pomegranate juice, sponsored by the Resnick family, whose company POM Wonderful has been accused of making false claims by the FDA.