Another Monopoly?

This requires  careful attention.  The drip, drip, drip of this infernal faucet is draining away our precious rights to     choose for ourselves and will limit the right of well trained experts to express their views unless they are “licensed”             as a registered nutritionist.

The American Dietetic Association Seeks a Monopoly over Nutritional Therapy

According to AAHF’s legislative director, Tami Wahl, since 1984, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) has been actively sponsoring state legislation that establishes registration and licensing protocols for dietitians. Their efforts have been successful in over 40 states. Now the ADA is attempting to have nutritionists and practitioners of nutritional therapy be locked into the same licensing scheme.

In 2006, the ADA was successful in Michigan, and the Dietitian/Nutritionist Licensure Act was passed. The act requires an individual to be licensed by the state if he or she wants to practice either dietetics or nutritional counseling. Prior to that time, Michigan did not have a licensing requirement. Since the passage of the act, the Michigan Board of Dietetics and Nutrition has been promulgating rules to implement the act by specifying how the licensing requirements are to be fulfilled. The American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF), a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the freedom to choose (and have access to) integrative medical treatments, has been vocal in Michigan, opposing the ADA’s efforts. This form of legislation prohibits physicians or other qualified practitioners with advanced training in clinical nutrition from practicing nutritional counseling without licensure in dietetics.

Tami Wahl, AAHF’s Legislative Director, states: “It appears the thrust behind the inclusion of nutritionists in ADA’s licensing legislation is to eliminate competition by mandating that everyone who wants to practice nutritional therapy must register with ADA—and only ADA. We are trying to make sure consumers have access to both types of providers of nutritional information—nutritionists and dietitians.”

Michigan is a prime example of the ADA’s efforts to control the practice of nutritional therapy. The act prohibits practitioners from simply using the word “nutritionist” unless the individual obtains a license through the board. And according to the proposed rules, an individual can obtain a license only if he or she registers with the ADA. Wahl continues: “When ADA controls the practice of nutritional therapy and determines the terms on which individuals have access, then ADA has secured a monopoly over the practice of nutritional therapy. Legislation should not restrict the practice of nutrition to only dietitians. Considering the rate of degenerative diseases in the U.S., limiting the pool of individuals who can provide nutritional therapy is contrary to the public’s best interest.” Read more about the AAHF’s efforts to protect practitioners of nutritional therapy here. AAHF has supported the efforts in several states to insure that nutritional counseling is available to qualified practitioners other than those ADA licensed. View state action regarding this issue on the home page of AAHF.

August 4, 2009

Whole Foods, changes afoot

Become a Part of John Mackey’s Health Revolution

Over the past few days he has announced worldwide, from the Wall Street Journal* to the United Kingdom Guardian that Whole Foods will become the leader in healthy eating.

JOHN MACKEY, CEO WHOLE FOODS MARKETS Mr. Mackey, Founder and CEO of Whole Foods, is now a vegan who shuns vegetable oils. He has lost weight and lowered his cholesterol. Don’t miss this giant step forward. Hear him speak at the September 11, 2009 McDougall Advanced Study Weekend.

*To get the entire WSJ article, google “John Mackey and WSJ.”

McDougall Advanced Study Weekends

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We sell a bunch of junk, says Whole Foods boss John Mackey

Struggling US store says it would attempt to educate in the ways of healthy eating

• Mark Tran
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 5 August 2009

A woman selects apples while shopping in the produce section at Whole Foods in New York. Photograph: Stephen Chernin/Getty images

When Whole Foods arrived in the UK two years ago it was hailed as a mecca for those determined to follow a healthy diet. But today the struggling US store’s chief executive will probably want to eat his words after admitting that, alongside the organic carrots and bags of granola, the shops “sell a bunch of junk”.

The comments came in an interview in which John Mackey was attempting to outline plans for the store to put more emphasis on healthy eating – amid suggestions that it has recently indulged consumer cravings for more indulgent offerings.

He went on to say that Whole Foods was going to launch a healthy eating education initiative to encourage customers and employees to reduce obesity.

But Mackey told the Wall Street Journal: “Basically, we used to think it was enough just to sell healthy food, but we know it is not enough. We sell all kinds of candy. We sell a bunch of junk.”

He said the store would now attempt to educate in the ways of healthy eating: “There will be someone in a kiosk to answer questions, they’ll have cookbooks and health books, there will be some cooking classes. It will be about how to select food, because people don’t know.”

His comments come as Whole Foods reels from bad news. Jeff Turnas, who was parachuted in to take charge of the group’s faltering UK operation last month, said Mackey’s words “had been lost in translation”, saying that what his boss meant was that eating too many crisps or cakes even if they are organic is not the best way to keep healthy.

The main Whole Foods store is in Kensington, west London, and it runs a handful of convenience stores, formerly trading as Fresh & Wild in parts of London.

But its British foray has been an unhappy one. The group made an operating loss for the year to 30 September 2008 of £36m, widening from a £9.9m shortfall for the previous 12 months. Its parent company, Whole Foods Market Inc, has been forced to write off almost £50m as part of the effort to establish a foothold in the UK.

Mackey said Whole Foods would attempt to rid its stores of unhealthy food, starting with a campaign to get its employees healthier, and would be going back to its roots in selling healthy food.

“Right now, if you work for the company you get a 20% discount card,” Mackey said. “We’re going to create incentives for our team members to get healthier.”

Mackey said Whole Foods is going back to its roots of selling healthy food.

“Healthy eating went on at Whole Foods from at least about 1980 to 1995. Now we’ve had a 15 year run for the foodie philosophy. We are launching a reversal now. We will be moving into food as