Center for Food Integrity

The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) is an industry funded front group which states that it aims "to build consumer trust and confidence in the contemporary U.S. food system by sharing accurate, balanced information, correcting misinformation, modeling best practices and engaging stakeholders to address issues that are important to consumers."

The formation of the group was announced in March 2007. The domain name was registered on March 1, 2007 by Charlie Arnot, from the Kansas City, Missouri -based PR firm CMA Consulting. In 2006 Arnot also registered the domain name for Best Food Nation, a website launched to coincide with the release of the film version of Eric Schlosser's book Fast Food Nation. CFI is reported to be the result of Best Food Nation and the Grow America Project (GAP).

Tactics
Joseph Mendelson, the Legal director for the Center for Food Safety (CFS), a bona-fide consumer group which which aims to end food industry practices that damage the environment and human health, believes CFI's name mimics his own organization's. "The name was obviously chosen to try to distract attention from groups like ours and to confuse consumers," he told FoodNavigator-USA.com.

"My suspicion is that the food industry is concerned that more regulatory oversight is coming its way. This is a way for it to promote its agenda under a green wash label," he said.

According to a study from CFS by Michele Simon, CFI uses a variety of methods to manipulate public perception of the food industry. It conducts consumer surveys and then promotes them through methods like webinars. CFI also hosts events like the 2012 Food Integrity Summit, which claimed to be "the first-ever forum on ethics, values, and trust in today’s food system..."

Personnel

 * Charlie Arnot
 * Jim Fallon
 * Terry Fleck

CFI Members
The following organizations were listed as partner organizations as of 2013:


 * American Farm Bureau Federation
 * Bimbo Bakeries, USA
 * Burnbrae Farms Limited
 * California Poultry Federation
 * ConAgra Foods
 * Dairy Council of California
 * Dairy Management, Inc.
 * DairyCARES
 * Delaware Soybean Board
 * Elanco Animal Health
 * Farm Credit
 * Farm Credit Services of America
 * Grocery Manufacturers Association
 * Illinois Soybean Association
 * Indiana Corn Marketing Council
 * Indiana Farm Bureau Federation
 * Indiana Soybean Alliance
 * Indiana State Department of Agriculture
 * owa Farm Bureau Federation
 * Kansas Soybean Commission
 * Kansas Pork Association
 * Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board
 * LH Gray, Global Egg and Golden Valley
 * Maryland Soybean Board
 * Merck Animal Health
 * Michigan Milk Producers Association
 * Michigan State University
 * Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee
 * Monsanto Company
 * National Pork Board
 * National Pork Producers Council
 * National Restaurant Association
 * Nebraska Soybean Board
 * Nestle, USA
 * North Dakota Soybean Council
 * Novus International
 * Ohio Association of Food Banks
 * Ohio Farm Bureau Federation
 * Ohio Soybean Council
 * Phibro Animal Health
 * Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin
 * Purdue University
 * Rabobank America
 * Smithfield Foods
 * South Dakota Soybean Research & Promotion Council
 * Teays River Investments, LLC
 * Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board
 * Tyson Foods, Inc.
 * United Egg Producers
 * United Soybean Board
 * U.S. Poultry & Egg Association
 * Washington Association of Wheat Growers
 * Zoetis

Contact details
Center for Food Integrity 7501 NW Tiffany Springs Parkway, Suite 200 Kansas City, MO 64153 Phone: 816-880-5360 Website: http://www.foodintegrity.org

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Best Food Nation
 * Brose McVey
 * Greenwashing

CFI statements

 * Terry Fleck, "Introduction to the Center for Food Integrity", Email, March 14, 2007. (Pdf copy)

General articles

 * Lorraine Heller, "New industry body aims to quell consumer food fears", Food Navigator , March 20, 2007.
 * Ann Bagel Storck, "New Organization Aims To Boost Consumer Trust In U.S. Food System", CattleNetwork Today, March 20, 2007.