Who funded this research?

“Who funded this research?”

A legitimate question, to be sure, but it’s being used in a way that’s starting to really annoy me.

When I post something about dairy (or animal products in general), processed food, or pesticides, or anything that can be deemed as ‘unnatural’ or ‘unhealthy’, this question gets asked.

But when I post about fruit and veg, or bread, or fibre, or even pizza actually, this question is notoriously absent.

This is confirmation bias. When something I’ve written agrees with what people believe, it’s blindly accepted as true. When something I write disagrees with someone’s ethical food choices, or contradicts their beliefs, suddenly it has to be questioned. This is an unfair double-standard.

There are many sources of funding for scientific research. There have to be, because research can be expensive, and scientists deserve to be paid for their work and earn a living just like everyone else. Funding can come from government, from charities, from trusts, or from industry, for example. The source of funding should NOT be used as an excuse to dismiss a piece of research entirely. That’s not fair and not good enough. Yes, you should use it as a reason to be slightly more critical, but you should really always be critical when reading any piece of research. Always.

Did you know that organic organisations and lobbyists pay for research? That fruit and veg companies and probiotic companies do too? When we think of industry-sponsored research we usually tend to think of Coca-Cola, or the meat industry lobbyists, or some equally powerful and insidious company who ‘doesn’t care about our health, only profits’. But, again, that’s unfair and biased. Companies and industries that you like and think are ‘the good guys’ fund research too. Case in point: organic lobbying groups, California Walnuts, Alpro, and even Big Avocado (shock horror!)

So next time you ask the question “who funded this?”, check yourself. Why are you asking this question? Are you applying it evenly across the board and asking even when you strongly agree with the conclusion? Or are you using it as a way to try and dismiss a claim simply because you disagree with it or it makes you uncomfortable? Challenging your beliefs is an important part of being curious, skeptical, and scientifically-minded. It should be a never-ending process. It doesn’t come easy, for sure, but this makes even more important to do. And now that I’ve planted the seed, you have no excuse!

Finally, I want to point out that if I share a reference from an industry-sponsored source, you can assume I’m aware of that. I know how to read research. I very rarely make claims on social media that aren’t supported by many pieces of research, which I will have read, analysed, collated, and discussed with others. I will often choose to share one particular reference over another because it’s open-access, for example, rather than hidden behind a paywall, or because it has less scientific jargon, which makes it easier for non-scientists to understand. There’s no point me sharing a piece of research that you can’t access or that you can’t understand. That’s bad communication. So please, give me a little benefit of the doubt, and if you’re unsure, just ask me nicely.