IUFoST Scientific Information Bulletins Address Food Science Issues

They are produced by experts, on behalf of and approved by the IUFoST Scientific Council for legislators, the public, research institutions and the more than 200,000 members of IUFoST Adhering Bodies worldwide.

6 Dec 2012 --- The International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) has released a new Scientific Information Bulletin (SIB) on the topic of Ensuring Scientific Integrity: Guidelines for Managing Conflicts. IUFoST SIBs present authoritative science on emerging and headline food science issues. They are produced by experts, on behalf of and approved by the IUFoST Scientific Council for legislators, the public, research institutions and the more than 200,000 members of IUFoST Adhering Bodies worldwide.
 
"A considerable and growing body of literature has evolved in recent times on the subject of conflicts of interest (COI) and their potential influence on the scientific record and the integrity of scientific research. In much of the literature, conflicts are treated as disqualifying factors in scientific papers and research; i.e. scientists with conflicts of interest are viewed as being at least partially integrity-compromised and, even with complete and open disclosure, are regarded, at least to an extent, as of suspect scientific credibility. It is hoped that this SIB will define and clarify the highly complex issues involved in questions of conflict and scientific bias, particularly with regard to that portion of research funding originating with the food industry. 
 
The focus is confined to one specific issue and its relationship to bias: financial conflicts of interest and, specifically, funding-based conflicts. The focus of this SIB is on the management of potential bias from industry funding of science.
 
Given the critical role that industry has played and will continue to play in the research process, the International Life Sciences Institute North America (ILSI NA) Working Group on Guiding Principles, several years ago, set out proposed conflict-of-interest (COI) guidelines regarding industry funding for protecting the integrity and credibility of the scientific record, particularly with respect to food, health, and nutrition science (Rowe 2009).  This SIB is based on that original ILSI NA paper, "Funding food science and nutrition research: financial conflicts and scientific integrity". Although the issue of scientific integrity and the principles enumerated here clearly have global applicability, the context for their development was US-and-Canadian-focused. The SIB is consistent with and furthers the goals of IUFoST's "Ethical Guidelines on Professional Behaviour".    
 
The work of authors Sylvia Rowe and Nick Alexander is gratefully acknowledged. Sylvia Rowe, MA, is an adjunct professor at Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  She is also the president of SR Strategy, a health, nutrition, food safety and risk communications and issue management consultancy in Washington, DC.  Previously, Ms. Rowe served as president and chief executive officer of the International Food Information Council (IFIC) and IFIC Foundation, nonprofit organizations that communicate science-based information of food safety and nutrition issues. Nick Alexander, BA, is an independent communications consultant, formerly senior media counselor for the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, Washington, DC.  He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Harvard University. A former network correspondent with ABC News, Alexander has, for the past decade, been tracking and writing about science communications issues and the evolving challenge to public acceptance of credible science.
 
These and the other titles in the series of IUFoST Scientific Information Bulletins provide an outline of the scientific principles involved in the topic, underpinned by the scientific expertise of the authors of each SIB and including provision of key and scientifically reliable online and other sources of further information on the topic. They are all available online at  http://iufost.org/iufost-scientific-information-bulletins-sib. Each SIB is prepared by an expert or small team of experts selected by the IUFoST Scientific Council.