Together we can put an end to these monopolies. State-based Action Alerts!
In recent years we have made a lot of progress working together to protect free speech and ensure an open marketplace for qualified nutrition professionals. We have now sent letters to legislators in over a dozen states, warning them that their restrictive nutrition boards are violating federal law in the aftermath of recent court rulings.
The letters are timely, as the FTC has just released a staff guidance indicating how states are to comply with federal antitrust laws.
Regular readers will remember our coverage of the US Supreme Court’s decision against the North Carolina Dental Board. The court ruled that the board violated antitrust laws because it was comprised of self-interested dentists and did not have proper state supervision. North Carolina’s dental board had tried to prevent spas and salons from offering teeth-whitening services.
Building on this—and the related Cooksey court victory, which affirmed the paleo blogger’s First Amendment right to post general nutrition advice on his blog—ANH-USA targeted the sixteen states with the most monopolistic laws. In these states, the dietetic/nutrition boards are often stacked with Registered Dietitians—who pass laws to restrict licensure to RDs only and prohibit nutritionists who may have superior qualifications and far more experience. We sent letters both to those states’ dietetic boards and to their attorneys general, warning them that their restrictive practices are in violation of federal law and the First Amendment.
None of the letter recipients have admitted guilt yet—they wouldn’t. A second wave of letters is now directed to key lawmakers in these states—to the people who have the power to change the actual laws currently on the books governing how state dietetics and nutrition boards operate. ANH-USA will also be working with legislators to amend state laws to reflect these recent court victories. In the end, we may have to pursue legal action in order to get reform.
For more background on this issue, including how the largest nutrition association, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), tries to block qualified nutritionists holding advanced degrees from leading universities and takes money from and works with junk food companies, read about our recent victory in North Carolina.
Check out our video here and share it with friends!
If you know of a practitioner who has been the target of inappropriate actions by a state nutrition/dietetics board, please contact us at [email protected] or submit a story on our website!
State-based Action Alert! If you live in one of the sixteen states below, click on your state and urge your state legislators to support a free and open market for nutrition professionals. Please send your message immediately.
