The Freedom Food Alliance has announced a strategic partnership with Rooted Research Collective to publish a new report titled Nutrition Misinformation in the Digital Age.
The report aims to address the spread of inaccurate dietary information on social media, after a recent survey found that 57% of Millennial and Gen Z TikTok users have been swayed by nutrition trends on the platform. A huge 98% of these trends, including extreme ones such as the carnivore diet and liquid cleanses, are said to go against public health and nutrition guidelines. 31% of users who have tried them say they experienced negative health effects.
To raise awareness of this issue, the upcoming report will highlight the influence of social media on dietary trends by analyzing the spread of false information on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. It will then evaluate the health consequences associated with some of these popular trends.
Policy recommendations
Despite the World Economic Forum listing misinformation and disinformation as one of the greatest risks to humanity in the near future, The Freedom Food Alliance and Rooted Research Collective say there is currently a lack of regulation when it comes to nutritional information on social media. Consequently, the report will make policy and regulatory recommendations, advocating for more accountability from social media platforms. The partnership will also develop consumer awareness campaigns supported by scientific research and real-life stories to promote accurate nutrition information.
“The spread of nutrition misinformation must be stopped,” said Marlana Malerich, co-founder of Rooted Research Collective. “The Freedom Food Alliance team and Robbie Lockie have a strong track record of elevating social issues to the forefront of public discourse — we’re confident that this initiative, in combination with their advocacy work, will have a lasting impact beyond the report itself.”
“Significant public health challenge”
In February, the Freedom Food Alliance published an in-depth report highlighting another form of disinformation — the strategies used by the animal agriculture industry to influence public opinion and policy. The report claims that the industry has used artificial intelligence to manipulate social media, while corporate science has been misused to sway public perception and derail sustainable food initiatives.
Freedom Food Alliance co-founder Robbie Lockie also criticized the Daily Mail online earlier this year for distorting the results of a scientific study to claim that animal proteins are crucial for healthy aging. In reality, the study showed that plant proteins are significantly more beneficial than animal proteins.
“The prevalence of dietary misinformation poses a significant public health challenge,” said Lockie. “We are witnessing a tidal wave of misinformation that fuels preventable health issues. Our partnership with Rooted Research Collective will enable us to pinpoint the sources of misinformation and assess their impact on health.”
