REVEALED: How junk food giant used the 'anti-diet' movement to sell sugar-laden cereals...and paid dietitians to promote unhealthy foods

Junk food giants have been 'co-opting' body positive social media trends to try and sell Americans more calorific foods, a new investigation has uncovered.

The manufacturer behind Coca Puffs, Golden Grahams and Annie's Mac and Cheese is accused of cynical advertising tactics - such as paying dietitians to promote sugar-laden products on social media using body positive hashtags.

The sponsored content is targeted at the 'anti-diet' community - people who believe labelling any foods as 'bad' or 'unhealthy' can lead to mental health problems such as disordered eating.

Many of the junk food-funded posts use the hashtag #derailtheshame on social media - a marketing ploy invented by the firm, called General Mills, which infers people shouldn't be ashamed of eating sugary food.

The makers of sugary cereals have been using 'anti-diet' messaging to promote their foods, an investigation has found.

One post was shared in November 2023 by dietitian Cara Harbstreet, who has 38,000 followers on Tiktok.

In the clip, she can be seen preparing a bowl of cereal and eating it, while the captions read: 'As a registered dietitian I will always advocate for fearlessly nourishing meals including cereal because everyone deserves to enjoy food without judgement'.  She states the video is a sponsored partnership with General Mills.

Another was shared by Arizona-based nutritionist Christy Wilson last February. It featured her preparing and eating a bowl of cheerios, alongside the caption, #derailtheshame. 

In another TikTok posted last January, dietitian Liz Weiss shared a box gifted to her by General Mills with her name on it - and claimed the cereal is effective for treating constipation. Her video also featured #derailtheshame. 

One serving of 'heart healthy' Honey Nut Cheerios contains four teaspoons of sugar - almost 70 percent of the recommended daily allowance, according to the American Heart Association.

What's more, it's come to light that big food have spent large sums lobbying federal regulators, arguing against policies to make food labels more transparent and, in theory, consumers healthier.

The findings come amid the burgeoning obesity crisis, where roughly 41 percent of American adults are obese, according to the CDC. 

Speaking of the investigation, by non-profit news brand, The Examination and the Washington Post, those heavily involved in the anti-diet movement said their message had been 'co-opted'.

General Mills partnered with dietitians to promote their products

Elyse Resch, a registered dietitian said these companies are 'just trying to make more money, and intuitive eating has been co-opted.' 

Resch is widely credited with popularizing intuitive eating - a cornerstone of the anti-diet movement that involves tuning into the body's hunger and fullness signals.

The messaging from these companies isn't just misleading, it's also potentially harmful to consumers, Senator Richard Blumenthal told The Examination. 

'I think it is really reprehensible for the food industry to prey on the vulnerabilities of people who suffer from diabetes or obesity or diseases that are caused by excessive sugar, fat and perhaps other ingredients that do them harm,' he said. 

The investigation uncovered that General Mills has hosted events for nutritionists in which they presented their in-house research and urged the attending providers to spread the message to #derailtheshame around eating products like cereal. 

At a conference last fall, General Mills' senior manager for nutrition and external affairs told attendees that they could fight back against media and use their personal platforms to 'help derail the cycle of shame.'

This hashtag, #derailtheshame, is now featured in numerous dietitians posts across the internet. 

When influencers promote this content and don't clearly label that it's a sponsored post, it can lead consumers to believe that the products they're talking about are healthy options, Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said. 

'It’s irresponsible for any trade group to hire influencers to tout its members’ products and fail to ensure that the influencers come clean about that relationship, he said.' 

This influencing doesn't end on social media. 

General Mills has spent more than 2 million dollars on lobbying the US federal government from 2022-2023, according to OpenSecrets. Kellogs spent nearly 2.7 million dollars to lobby for their interests over the same period.

These companies have joined legal forces to protest a proposed law that would limit  'healthy' labelling on foods. 

Brands would also be forced to include more specific details about the sugar and fat content of their products.

'Food companies have led the American people astray for too long. If consumers could see how much sodium, sugar, and saturated fat is in their food, they might think twice about what they are purchasing,' Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky said while introducing the bill, which she co-sponsored with Sen. Blumenthal. 

Breakfast cereals are the fifth-highest source of added sugar in diets of children, an independent review found

In addition to influencing legislation and social media, companies have been funding academic research. 

According to the legal brief filed by Kellogs and General Mills, their studies generally conclude that cereal 'delivers on nutrition when eaten alone, but when consumed as part of breakfast, it elevates the nutrition further.' 

However, independent reviews of the science suggests that misleading labels on cereal brans may cause children to consume five to nine pounds more sugar per year than the labels suggest. 

Diets high in added sugars are known to be linked to higher rates of obesity, diabetes and cancers.