The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is a
Washington, D.C.-based
non-profit
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 ...
watchdog and
consumer advocacy group that advocates for safer and healthier foods.
History and funding
CSPI is a consumer advocacy organization. Its focus is nutrition and health, food safety, and alcohol policy. CSPI was headed by the microbiologist
Michael F. Jacobson, who founded the group in 1971
along with the meteorologist James Sullivan and the chemist Albert Fritsch, two fellow scientists from
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes.
The son of Lebanese immigrants to the U ...
's
Center for the Study of Responsive Law
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
.
In the early days, CSPI focused on various aspects such as nutrition, environmental issues, and nuclear energy. However, after the 1977 departure of Fritsch and Sullivan, CSPI began to focus largely on nutrition and food safety and began publishing nutritional analyses and critiques.
CSPI has
501(c)(3) status. Its chief source of income is its ''Nutrition Action Healthletter'', which has about 900,000 subscribers and does not accept advertising.
[
][
] The organization receives about 5 to 10 percent of its $17 million annual budget from grants by private foundations.
CSPI has more than sixty staff members and an annual budget from over $20 million.
Jacobson now serves as a Senior Scientist at CSPI