Center for Science in the Public Interest

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) describes itself as a consumer advocacy organization with “twin missions”: (1) to conduct innovative research and advocate for health and nutrition programs and (2) to provide people with useful consumer information about their health and well-being. CSPI was founded in 1971. In both its founding and its work over the years, the center has been an extension of the consumer advocacy approach pioneered by activist Ralph Nader.

CSPI's founders were Michael F. Jacobson, who has a doctorate in microbiology and has been the organization's executive director since 1978; Albert Fritch, a chemist; and James Sullivan, a meteorologist. All had worked together briefly at Nader's Center for the Study of Responsive Law, also based in Washington, D.C., which had been established 3 years earlier to conduct research and engage in educational projects designed to encourage major U.S. institutions to focus on the needs of the citizen-consumer.

CSPI, with more than 900,000 members and a staff of 60, continues to emphasize issues of health—especially those involving food safety and nutrition—and a variety of other consumer-oriented issues. As explained on the Web site, the organization has adopted three main goals:

• To make useful, objective information available to the public and policymakers in areas such as food, alcohol, health, and the environment, and to conduct related research
• To advocate for the interests of citizens before regulatory, judicial, and legislative bodies with respect to these and other issues
• To make sure that science and technology are used for the public good and to encourage scientists to engage in activities supportive of the public interest

CSPI's newsletter, Nutrition Action Healthletter, is not only its principal channel of providing information to the public but also (via subscription fees) a major source of funds for the nonprofit group. Foundation grants typically make up between 5% to 10% of CSPI's $17 million annual revenue (figure for 2006). This has included grants from organizations such as Heinz Endowments, Rockefeller Family Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation, Beldon Fund, C.S. Fund, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The center stresses that it accepts no corporate contributions or government grants, and Nutrition Action Healthletter accepts no advertising.

CSPI led efforts that won passage of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, which requires nutrition information on most food labels. An early CSPI campaign was against the use of sulfite preservatives, believed to be the cause of numerous deaths due to anaphylactic reactions; the campaign resulted in the Food and Drug Administration's banning sulfites from fresh fruits and vegetables. The center gained worldwide attention for its studies on the nutritional value of restaurant meals. Through litigation and media attention, CSPI has worked to stop deceptive food labels and advertising in many instances. It has been in the forefront in the recent successful campaign to stop the use of trans fats by restaurants and food processors. The Boston Globe once described CSPI as the “most respected nutrition advocacy group” in the United States.

One of CSPI's foci is encouraging healthier diets for children. It has worked with citizens groups and legislators around the country to get foods of poor nutritional quality out of schools. Its Integrity in Science project has developed a database of nearly 5,000 scientists, physicians, and nutritionists who are believed to have financial ties to food, energy, chemical, and other companies. That project has spurred regulatory agencies to drop scientists with conflicts of interest from advisory committees and is credited with spurring major newspapers, including the Washington Post and the New York Times, to advise readers when the scientists they quote have consulted for or received grants from industry.

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