In 2011, I was the first to expose the American Diabetes Association’s tangled web of corporate interests. I reported that Big Pharma had paid the ADA $19 million. By 2014, that number had climbed to $31.5 million.
Note: The numbers listed above were PER YEAR!
The backlash against the ADA was brutal and rightly so. The ADA felt so much heat, they stopped providing detailed information on total corporate contributions.
Over a decade later, the ADA’s ties to Big Food and Big Pharma have only deepened—and grown more secretive. Today, the ADA no longer discloses the total contributions from its biggest corporate donors.
Why the secrecy? What are they ashamed of?
Could it be because their “diabetes care” guidelines often serve these donors more than the millions of people living with diabetes?
These guidelines don’t benefit diabetics—they do benefit Big Food, Big Pharma, and the medical industry.
These guidelines push high-carb diets and synthetic sweeteners, benefiting Big Food and Big Pharma while keeping diabetics dependent on medications, devices, and processed foods that fuel the epidemic.
Here’s what we know now, and why it matters.
Years and $134 Million Later
According to The Guardian, based on financial filings:
“Between 2017 and 2024, more than 50 pharmaceutical and device manufacturers contributed over $134 million to the ADA—roughly 20% of its total funding.”
$134 million could buy a lot of influence.
The ADA selectively shares some donor information but hides the full picture. Its highest donor tier, the Banting Circle Elite, requires a minimum annual contribution of $1,000,000.
Current members of the Banting Circle Elite include:
- Boehringer Ingelheim
- Eli Lilly and Company
- Novo Nordisk
- Sanofi
- Abbott Laboratories
- Merck & Co.
I can tell you from my past research, total corporate contributions are much higher than the $1,000,000 ‘minimums’… but again, the ADA is not letting the public know how much corporate money flows into their coffers.
Additionally, the ADA’s “Stop Diabetes” campaign has also raised $53 million from corporate sponsors, including many of the same companies. These donors profit from the ADA’s nutritional guidance, which encourages high-carb diets that elevate blood sugars and increase reliance on drugs and insulin. It’s a revolving door—and the ADA is spinning it.
More Evidence of Influence Peddling
Evidence of corporate influence continues to mount. Elizabeth Hanna, the ADA’s former Director of Nutrition and Clinical Affairs, was fired after refusing to endorse recipes loaded with Splenda, a synthetic sweetener made by Heartland Food Products Group, a major ADA donor.
Hanna, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care specialist, believed these recipes were unethical and harmful to diabetics. Her refusal to endorse the foods and subsequent firing, led to a lawsuit. The lawsuit was quietly settled out of court in 2024.
This case raises a chilling question: If Big Food can dictate what the ADA endorses, what else are they—and Big Pharma—controlling?
Why So Secretive, ADA?
As a nonprofit, the ADA must disclose financial details through IRS Form 990. Yet, it uses redacted Schedule B filings to conceal specifics about its largest donations. Why hide who’s paying what?
This lack of transparency fuels distrust, especially when the ADA’s dietary advice aligns so closely with its donors’ interests. Big Food and Big Pharma thrive while diabetics follow outdated guidance that keeps blood sugars high and medication use higher.
Diabetics and the public deserve full transparency. Anything less is a betrayal.
Time for Change
While the ADA collects tens of millions from Big Food and Big Pharma, millions of diabetics suffer from harmful, outdated advice.
Enough is enough.
Demand the ADA disclose its corporate funding fully.
Please share this post to spread the word. Together, we can hold the ADA accountable and push for diabetes care that puts people over profits. #DiabetesAwareness #ADATransparency #PeopleOverProfits