Guidelines for Communicating - Your Nutrition and Food ...International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) A. Introduction B. Guidelines

Guidelines forCommunicatingthe Emerging Science ofDietary Components for Health

International Food Information

Council (IFIC) Foundation

and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)

For Journalists, Health Professionals, and other Communicators

A partnership between:

International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)

A. Introduction

B. Guidelines for Communicating the Emerging Scienceof Dietary Components for Health

1. Enhance public understanding of foods, food components, and/ordietary supplements and their role in a healthful lifestyle.

2. Clearly convey the differences between emerging andconsensus science.

3. Communicate with accuracy and balance.

4. Put new findings into the context needed for an individual to makedietary decisions.

5. Disclose all key details about a particular study.

6. Consider peer-review status.

7. Assess the objectivity of research.

C. Academic Partners

D. Advisory Committee

E. Stakeholder Dialogue


Guidelines for Communicating the Emerging Science of Dietary Components for Health Table of Contents

Functional Foods? Bioactives? The Promise, theReality, and the Confusion.

Consumers’ appetites for food and nutrition news seemnearly insatiable. That is not surprising in light ofunprecedented developments in the nutrition researchworld. In recent years, scientific evidence has revealedthat bioactive dietary components may benefit health inways that extend beyond meeting basic nutritionalneeds. Some components, when consumed oftenenough and in sufficient amounts, may help reduce therisk for developing chronic diseases such as heart disease,cancer, diabetes, or obesity. In addition, scientists areequipped with new knowledge and technologies tobetter identify functional dietary components andevaluate their potential health effects, as well asunderstand the genetic variances in nutritional needs.

The emerging science surrounding how whole foods,food components, and dietary supplements maypromote health and reduce disease risk is exciting. Yet,dietary recommendations from established scientificauthorities change little over time due to the need tobuild a strong body of evidence. This contrast presentsnew challenges to journalists, health professionals, andother communicators who strive to responsibly relay newfindings to the public amid established dietary guidancein our time-crunched world.

Communicating Emerging Science

The exciting research into the health effects of individualdietary components is indeed creating a fountain ofknowledge that flows fast enough to keep the mostmotivated journalist or health professional on his or hertoes. These professionals, after all, are tasked withunderstanding and translating scientific findings intolayman’s terms for the public from day to day. Morebroadly, some of the challenges they face are inherent toall science communication (Harvard School of PublicHealth and IFIC Foundation, Improving PublicUnderstanding: Guidelines for Communicating EmergingScience on Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health, 1998,

http://ific.org/publications/brochures/guidelinesbroch.cfm).Communicators are challenged to:

� Convey emerging science on a continuum, basedon the strength of the overall evidence, as opposedto isolated studies.

� Communicate the latest scientific findings withbalance, while recognizing, but not overstating,differences of opinion.

� Provide context when new or emerging scientificevidence adds to and supports the body ofresearch currently available or when the emergingscience contradicts previous research, questioningestablished dietary guidance.

� Educate the public about a new area of research ortechnology, including complex terminology, beforerelated nutrition information is likely to beunderstood.

Communicating the Health Functions of Foods& Dietary Supplements

A unique area of nutrition, dietary components forhealth, referred to commonly as “functional foods” or“bioactives for health,” presents the following challenges:

� Empowering consumers to view beneficial dietarycomponents as one part of a healthful diet andlifestyle rather than as “magic bullets.”

� Balancing increased consumption of beneficialcomponents within the proper caloric intakenecessary to maintain a healthful weight.

� Communicating which segments of the populationwould likely benefit from increased or decreasedconsumption of a given component.

Communications about dietary components for healthhold promise to profoundly affect public knowledge,behavior, and well-being. Communicators have theopportunity to bridge the gap between science and theconsumer by utilizing guidelines for translating researchfindings into understandable and actionable messages forconsumers.

Creating the Guidelines

Journalism and nutrition professionals at PurdueUniversity, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, andUniversity of Missouri, Columbia partnered on andassisted with the development of Guidelines forCommunicating the Emerging Science of DietaryComponents for Health.

International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) 1


Guidelines for Communicating the Emerging Science of Dietary Components for Health A. Introduction

An Advisory Committee was convened to identifychallenges and formulate solutions to address thecommunication issues specific to dietary components forhealth. The work of the Advisory Committee was vettedthrough two meetings of a Stakeholder Dialogue,including representatives from the media, healthprofessions, academia, food and commodity industries,scientific societies, consumer advocates, and government.

The product of their work is dynamic, and is thereforepublished online to facilitate incorporation of input fromstakeholders over time. As the science continues toemerge, so will the communications strategy continueto evolve.

Using the Guidelines

The Guidelines are designed to address the challengeslisted above and stimulate reflection among allstakeholders, leading to accurate and effectivecommunications. Individualization is the key not only innutrition advice, but also in nutrition communications.Therefore, not all guidelines will apply in all situations,but each will apply in some. The journalist may find theguideline, “Communicate with accuracy and balance,”

particularly relevant to composing a newspaper article,while “Consider peer review status” is one key toestablishing credibility of information. The healthprofessional, on the other hand, may play a moreprominent role in implementing the guideline, “Put newfindings into the context needed for an individual tomake dietary decisions.”

This set of tools can also serve as a bridge between thecommunicators using them—between journalists andresearch scientists, or health professionals andgovernment officials. For example, a journalist may findthat the Guidelines serve as a checklist in interviews withresearch scientists and vice versa. By facilitatingrecognition of the value of information eachcommunicator can provide, an understanding of eachone’s limitations, and respect for the diversecommunication styles of each, application of theGuidelines will allow a more understandable andconsistent message to reach the consumer.

We hope you will refer to the Guidelines often whilepromoting consumer understanding of the exciting andemerging science of dietary components for health.


For more informationon the Guidelines please visit:

http://www.ific.org/nutrition/functional/guidelines

Guidelines for Communicating the Emerging Science of Dietary Components for Health A. Introduction

Do you provide enough information to help thepublic understand new findings and decide whether ornot the findings warrant a change in eating habits?

Do you emphasize that dietary components are not“magic bullets” that work alone, but must beconsumed as part of a balanced, healthful diet? Further,do you indicate that diet is just one important aspect ofa healthful lifestyle?

Do you relay the concept of “caloric displacement?”When a dietary component is added or increased in thediet, other food intake may need to decrease to achieveenergy or caloric balance.

Do you emphasize that there is no “one-size-fits-all”diet and that, when necessary, a qualified healthprofessional such as a medical doctor or registereddietitian can help individualize a diet?

Do you provide credible national, state, and/or localresources where consumers can locate assistance ormore information?


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In Summary:

Serve-up plain talk about food and health. Adviseconsumers that dietary components are not “magicbullets” that work alone, but may promote good healthwhen included as part of a healthful diet and lifestyle.

Enhance public understanding offoods, food components, and/ordietary supplements and their rolein a healthful lifestyle.

Guidelines

Guidelines for Communicating the Emerging Science of Dietary Components for Health B.


Do you explain whether research results addincremental knowledge to or conflict with the existingbody of evidence? Do you suggest what furtherresearch may be needed?

Do you point out both similarities and differencesbetween study findings and established dietaryguidance?

Do you convey the “state of the science” bydescribing where a single study falls on a continuumbetween newly emerging findings and scientificconsensus?

Do you communicate that scientific information isevolutionary, not revolutionary?

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2Clearly convey the differencesbetween emerging and consensusscience.

In Summary:

Do you accurately report the study’s overallconclusions and avoid highlighting selected findingsthat may present a misleading picture? Also, consideravoiding misleading terms such as “scientificbreakthrough” or “medical miracle?”

If new findings conflict with established dietaryrecommendations, do you provide an accurate andbalanced assessment of the science for both?

Do you establish the credibility of your primarysources of information? Do you disclose whether or notresources represent mainstream scientific thinking onthe issue?

Do you seek additional expert opinions aboutresearch findings? Do you clearly distinguish betweenscientific evidence and opinion?

Do you acknowledge the potentially differing viewsand opinions of your resources? If only one or twosources express views in opposition to the consensus,is the emphasis you give these minority opinionsappropriate?

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Carefully craft your communications.Advise a healthy skepticism for potentially misleadingphrases, such as “medical miracle” or “scientificbreakthrough.” Suggest looking beyond dramaticlanguage to get the full story. Explain that facts arefacts, but experts may differ in opinion about how tointerpret them. Present a complete picture of a study’sresults, rather than select findings.

3 Communicate with accuracyand balance.

In Summary:

Scientific research is evolutionary, not revolutionary.Tell consumers where new findings fall on theresearch continuum and within the overall body ofevidence.



In Summary:

Do you make clear to whom the findings apply? Doyou avoid generalizing the results of a study that lookedat a specific population?

Do you describe the risk/benefit trade-offs ofconsuming or not consuming certain foods, foodcomponents, or dietary supplements? Do you conveythat risks/benefits may differ among individuals andpopulations?

In explaining risk, do you distinguish betweenpopulation-wide estimates and individual risk? Do youcite statistics on absolute risk (i.e., an increase inincidence from one in a million to three in a million)as well as relative risk (three times the risk)?

Do you differentiate between the concepts ofstatistical significance and clinical relevance? Forexample, while the study may have yielded statisticallysignificant numerical results, the same results may notbe achievable with “reasonable” intake of a particularcomponent.

Do you relate research findings into informationconsumers would find on a food label or in advertising?

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Make your messages meaningful. Translate thelatest research into what is on the consumer’s dinnerplate. Spell out to whom new findings apply andwhat impact, if any, the findings may have on eatinghabits.

4 Put new findings into the contextneeded for an individual to makedietary decisions.

In Summary:

Do you provide information about the study’soriginal purpose, research design (including samplecharacteristics, length of study, and research questionsaddressed), and method of data collection andanalysis?*

Do you define scientific terms, such as hypothesistesting, control groups, randomization, and double-blind study?

Do you indicate whether the dietary componentstudied was consumed as a whole food or dietarysupplement?

Do you indicate how much of and how often thedietary component was consumed to receive abeneficial effect? Do you provide examples of dietarysources of food components?

Do you use appropriate terminology to describe thefindings? For example, “cause and effect” refers toresults from carefully controlled clinical studies, not toresults from population studies (epidemiology). Also,“may” versus “will” reduce risk and “some” versus “all”people are appropriate references in healthcommunications.

Do you communicate whether the researchcontrolled for effects of other dietary and lifestylefactors and how this might affect the results?

Do you acknowledge any limitations orshortcomings of specific studies?

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Cite the study specifics. Discuss the research studydesign (such as characteristics of participants andquantity of food component consumed) to help thepublic understand the results and their validity.

5 Disclose all key details abouta particular study.

* For more information on how to critically review scientific studies, seethe IFIC Review: How to Understand and Interpret Food and Health-RelatedScientific Studies (http://ific.org/publications/reviews/scientificir.cfm).



In Summary:

Was the research peer-reviewed by independentscientists or published in a peer-reviewed journal? Doyou consider that although peer review is an importantstandard, it does not guarantee the findings aredefinitive or conclusive?

If a study was not peer-reviewed (e.g., a paperpresented at a meeting or conference), are the findingsso compelling that the public should hear about thembefore the peer-review process?

Do you distinguish between actual research findingsand editorials or commentaries written about theresearch? Do you clarify that an editorial expressespersonal views and is not always peer-reviewed?

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Point out the peer-review process as a key measureof a study’s credibility, although it is not the only key.Whether the study has been through the peer-reviewprocess is not a guarantee of conclusive results—it isone piece of a larger puzzle made up by the overallbody of evidence.

6 Consider peer-review status.

In Summary:

Are you reasonably confident of the study’sobjectivity and independence?

Are you certain that your communications do notoverstate research findings?

Do you disclose funding sources and consider whatthose funding the study stand to gain or lose from thestudy’s outcome?

Do you consider and, if necessary, disclose whocontrols the publishing rights to research findings?

Do you allow the validity of the science to speak foritself, regardless of the funding source?

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When assessing a study’s objectivity, considerthe full facts—including not only disclosure offunding sources, but also the peer-review process,methodology, and conclusions.

7 Assess the objectivity of research.



The International Food Information Council Foundation and the Institute of Food Technologists would like to

recognize the partnership of faculty of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/ Initiative for Future

Agriculture & Food Systems Research Program on Component Interactions for Functional Foods who provided time

and expertise that has been instrumental in the development of these Guidelines:

Glen T. Cameron, PhD, Missouri School of Journalism, University of Missouri, Columbia

Clare M. Hasler, PhD, MBA, Functional Foods for Health Program, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign*

Elizabeth Jeffery, PhD, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois,Urbana-Champaign

Ruth S. MacDonald, PhD, RD, Department of Food Science, University of Missouri, Columbia**

Charles Santerre, PhD, Department of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University

Connie Weaver, PhD, Department of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University

*Now with the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, University of California, Davis

**Now with the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Iowa State University

Academic Partners

Guidelines for Communicating the Emerging Science of Dietary Components for Health C. Academic Partners

Glen T. Cameron, PhDMissouri School of JournalismUniversity of Missouri, Columbia

Nancy M. Childs, PhDErivan K. Haub School of BusinessSaint Joseph’s University

Roger Clemens, DrPH, FACN, CNS School of PharmacyUniversity of Southern California

Beverly Clevidence, PhDHuman Nutrition Research CenterU.S. Department of Agriculture

Fergus M. Clydesdale, PhDDepartment of Food ScienceUniversity of Massachusetts

Paul Coates, PhDOffice of Dietary SupplementsNational Institutes of Health

Jeffery A. CowartFoundation for AmericanCommunications

Johanna Dwyer, DSc, RDSchools of Medicine and NutritionTufts University

Mugur V. Geana, MDMissouri School of JournalismUniversity of Missouri, Columbia

Walter H. Glinsmann, MDGlinsmann, Inc.

Clare M. Hasler, PhD, MBARobert Mondavi Institute for Wineand Food ScienceUniversity of California, Davis

Barbara V. Howard, PhDMedStar Research InstituteAmerican Heart Association Nutrition Committee

Elizabeth Jeffery, PhDDepartment of Food Science andHuman NutritionUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Gerald C. Keller, MDDepartment of Family MedicineOchsner ClinicAmerican Academy ofFamily Physicians

Naomi Kulakow (retired 2005)Office of Nutritional Products,Labeling, and Dietary SupplementsCenter for Food Safety andApplied NutritionU.S. Food and Drug Administration

Paul Lachance, PhD, FACN, CNSNutraceuticals InstituteRutgers University

Larry LindnerTufts University Health andNutrition Letter

Ruth S. MacDonald, PhD, RDDepartment of Food Science andHuman NutritionIowa State University

Anne Maher, EsqKleinfeld Kaplan & Becker

John A. Milner, PhDNational Cancer InstituteNational Institutes of Health

Michelle RuskBureau of Consumer ProtectionFederal Trade Commission

Charles Santerre, PhDDepartment of Foods and NutritionPurdue University

Barbara O. Schneeman, PhDOffice of Nutritional Products,Labeling, and Dietary SupplementsCenter for Food Safety andApplied NutritionU.S. Food and Drug Administration

Connie Weaver, PhDDepartment of Foods and NutritionNational Institutes of HealthBotanicals Center forAge-Related DiseasesPurdue University

International Food InformationCouncil and IFIC Foundation Staff:

Susan T. Borra, RDWendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDSylvia RoweDavid B. SchmidtCheryl Toner, MS, RD


Advisory Committee

Guidelines for Communicating the Emerging Science of Dietary Components for Health D. Advisory Committee

American Academy ofFamily Physicians

American Association of Family andConsumer Sciences

American Dietetic Association

American Heart Association

American Institute forCancer Research

American Public Health Association

American Society of Clinical Nutrition

Center for Science in thePublic Interest

Chocolate Manufacturers Association

Consumer Federation of America

Consumer HealthcareProducts Association

Council for Responsible Nutrition

Egg Nutrition Center

Federal Trade Commission

Food and Nutrition Board,Institute of Medicine

Foundation forAmerican Communications

Glinsmann, Inc.

Institute of Food Technologists

International Dairy Foods Association

International Life Sciences Institute

Kleinfeld Kaplan & Becker

Lehigh University, Department ofJournalism and Communication

National Cancer Institute,National Institutes of Health

National CooperativeBusiness Association

National Food Processors Association

National Potato Promotion Board

Office of Dietary Supplements,National Institutes of Health

The Popcorn Board

Purdue University,National Institutes of Health,Botanicals Center forAge-Related Diseases

Purdue University, Department ofFoods and Nutrition

Rutgers University,Nutraceuticals Institute

Soyfoods Association ofNorth America

Saint Joseph’s University, Erivan K.Haub School of Business

Tufts Schools of Medicineand Nutrition

Tufts University Health andNutrition Letter

United Soybean Board

United States Departmentof Agriculture,Agricultural Research Service

United States Food and DrugAdministration, Center for FoodSafety and Applied Nutrition

University of California, Davis

University of California, Davis,California Institute of Food andAgricultural Research

University of California, Davis,Robert Mondavi Institute forWine and Food Science

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Department of FoodScience and Human Nutrition

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Functional Foods forHealth Program

University of Massachusetts,Department of Food Science

University of Missouri, Columbia,Department of Food Science andHuman Nutrition

University of Missouri, Columbia,Missouri School of Journalism

University of Southern California,School of Pharmacy

Virginia Tech Center for Food andNutrition Policy


Stakeholder Dialogue Participants

Guidelines for Communicating the Emerging Science of Dietary Components for Health E. Stakeholder Dialogue

Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)

http://www.ift.org

International Food Information Council(IFIC) Foundation

http://www.ific.org

MARCH 2005

A partnership between:

For more informationon the Guidelines please visit:

http://www.ific.org/nutrition/functional/guidelines

Guidelines for Communicating - Your Nutrition and Food ...International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) A. Introduction B. Guidelines

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