Founded in 1985, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

supported by the food, beverage, and agricultural industries. According to the Center for Media and Democracy, "In reality, IFIC is a public relations arm of the food, beverage and agricultural industries, which provide the bulk of its funding." The vast majority of organizational revenues are generated by membership fees. The members of the IFIC consists of companies with food and food related sales, companies such as packaging or equipment suppliers, service providers, design firms, inspection/testing organization, and canning/bottling companies, with an interest in nutrition and food safety issues, and non-industry organizations, such as research institutions, foundations, and Associations, with an interest in nutrition and food safety issues. .. 2018 Form 990.

Criticism

In a report titled, '' The Best Public Relations Money Can Buy: A Guide to Food Industry Front Groups'', the

Center for Food Safety The Center for Food Safety (CFS) is a 501c3, U.S. non-profit advocacy organization, based in Washington, D.C. It maintains an office in San Francisco, California. The executive director is Andrew Kimbrell, an attorney. Its stated mission is to ...

called IFIC and similar organizations "

front group A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, terrorist organizations, secret societies, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy gr ...

s" formed by large corporations in which to "hide behind friendly-sounding organizations" in order to mislead the public into trusting their companies and products. According to the report, IFIC and other front groups run media campaigns which include TV appearances, news articles, advertisements, and published research to present their desired information.http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/cfs_front_groups_79234.pdf

References

{{Authority control International medical and health organizations Public health organizations Food safety organizations Food industry trade groups