Often derided as the "food police" by the Center for Consumer Freedom, CSPI provides reliable information to reporters, politicians and the general public, Rampton says. "A lot of their funding comes from subscriptions to the newsletter," he says. "Readers expect them to be thorough and practical. That keeps them honest."
The group may go overboard occasionally -- did anyone really need a breathless press release to know that buttered popcorn is fattening? -- but it generally takes a "level-headed" approach to nutrition, Mayer says. He singles out CSPI's open-minded stance on genetically modified food: "They could probably sell more [newsletters] if they claimed that you'd turn into Frankenstein by eating GMO corn."
Michael Jacobson, executive director of CSPI, says the organization does not accept money from corporations or government agencies. "We believe in personal responsibility, but we believe in industry responsibility too."
Public Citizen
This group, founded by Ralph Nader in 1971, takes public stands on health and safety issues involving pollution, medicine and consumer products. Like CSPI, it's funded mainly by individuals and subscriptions to newsletters, including the monthly Worst Pills, Best Pills, a continuation of the book by the same name. It doesn't take money from corporations or the government.
Some of Public Citizen's most high-profile work has been in the field of drug safety. The group may have a tendency to overstate the dangers of prescription drugs, but for good reason, Mayer says. "They have to push against drug companies who claim that everything can be cured with a pill." In general, its positions on medications and other products tends to be well-supported by science, he adds. "They've done a good job of identifying risky drugs that were later pulled off the market."
Public Citizen sounded the alarm on the painkiller Vioxx in 2001, three years before Merck withdrew the drug over concerns about heart risks.
"We do our own research, and we publish in medical journals," says Peter Lurie, deputy director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group. "We feel that a large fraction of new drugs offer few benefits over existing drugs." Patients should avoid such new drugs for at least seven years until their safety can be established, he says. "We're not against all medications. When we warn against a particular drug, we almost always recommend a different drug instead."
