Daniel Lubetzky, founder and CEO of KIND Healthy Snacks, has announced a pledge of $25 million to fight the influence of the food industry on public health.

Lubetzky's gift will create Feed the Truth, an independent nonprofit organization that will work to counteract the food industry's influence on nutrition policy and its ability to disseminate biased science. Eventually, the organization may also make grants in support of investigative journalism, consumer education campaigns, and educational briefings for policy makers.

To ensure the independence of the organization, Lubetzky will recuse himself from all governance and operational roles. In addition, three unaffiliated public health advocates have been tapped to nominate members of the organization's board. They are Deb Eschmeyer, former executive director of Let's Move! and senior policy advisor for nutrition policy at the White House; Michael Jacobson, co-founder and president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest; and Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University.

Lubetzky created Feed the Truth after his company was confronted by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration over its practice of labeling fatty but nutritious foods such as nuts as "healthy." After KIND, with the support of nutrition and public health experts, filed a "citizen petition" with the FDA asking it to update its guidelines consistent with modern nutrition science, the agency agreed. Meanwhile, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine found that the Sugar Association had funded studies in the 1960s to downplay findings linking sugar consumption to poor heart health and instead used industry-funded research to vilify fats — ultimately influencing the government's dietary guidance and spurring a flood of low-fat, high-sugar products onto the market.

"In establishing Feed the Truth, my intent is to elevate reputable science, bolster the voices of the nutrition community, and improve the guidance and information offered to Americans," said Lubetzky. "As a business owner, I understand the importance of prioritizing your bottom line, but it's equally as important to consider how you can succeed while also thinking about the long-term impact on the community."