Dalla Lana Investigative Journalism Bureau/​Toronto Star Investigation into Big Sugar

November 24/2023

By Robert Cribb (Toronto Star Staff Reporter), Rhythm Sachdeva (FJHI ’24), Declan Keogh, Investigative Journalism Bureau

Accompanied by a video of children holding candy and set to the beat of a chart-topping pop song, the social media post from a Canadian registered dietitian said: “If your kiddo is obsessed with sweets they likely need MORE access to sweets rather than LESS.”

‘Let them eat as much as they want.’ Big Sugar sponsors dietitians’ favourable posts on social media. Experts say Canadian regulators need to intervene

The dietitian’s advice, superimposed over the video, encouraged parents to “talk about these foods neutrally and let them eat as much as they want.”

This social media post and many others were paid for by the Canadian Sugar Institute, a Toronto-based association of sugar producers that has a branding relationship with dietitians across the country.

To read this article in full, visit the Dalla Lana Investigative Journalism Bureau at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.