photo from Freepik

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

We’ve all seen the headlines touting the virtues of eating meat. For example, there are headlines like “Older Adults Should Eat More Lean Pork,” and “Eating Meat Not Linked to a Higher Risk of Death.” Did you ever wonder if the funding source of the studies these headlines are based on might have affected the research? The meat industry can be involved in nutrition research in several ways. For example, they can provide the money that allows researchers who work at a university to do the research. They can have someone from the meat industry be one of the researchers and/or help to write about the study. The meat industry can provide financial support that allows researchers to attend and to present their results at scientific meetings.

A group of Australian scientists set out to evaluate the possible connection between meat industry support and study conclusions. The objective of their study was “to investigate the influence of meat industry involvement on study conclusions of research examining the health impacts of meat consumption (1).”

What is the study?

The researchers examined all studies published in English between 2014 and 2023 that investigated the nutritional health effects of meat consumption. A total of 500 studies were evaluated. They examined the study authors’ funding sources, any statements of conflict of interest (this is where authors are supposed to divulge their history of industry-related funding), and author affiliations. Health outcomes that were assessed in these studies included cancer, heart disease and stroke, and diabetes (1).

What did this study find?

Studies which were funded by the meat industry were 16 times more likely to report favorable conclusions about meat consumption than were independently funded studies. Studies which reported a connection to the meat industry were 23 times more likely to conclude favorably about meat consumption than were studies with no reported connection (1).

Since the 1980s, researchers have identified associations between funding sources and research outcomes in drug trials and in nutrition research including on the health effects of sugar-sweetened beverages. Industry ties can influence the presentation of results and conclusions in press releases about research. That can influence public perception of the research.

This study suggests that it is important for journalists, medical and nutrition professionals, and the public to be very careful when evaluating research with ties to industry.

Reference:

1. Teimouri N, Sievert K, Hannah A, et al. Is meat industry affiliation associated with study conclusion in nutrition research? A meta-research review. Obes Rev. Published online May 3, 2026.