Report: Food and drink lobby hit anti-obesity efforts hard

The food and beverage lobbies have fought hard in recent years to defeat policies aimed at changing America's diet, according to an analysis published Friday.

Industry groups more than doubled their spending in Washington over the last three years, Reuters found, and groups fighting for stricter standards were vastly outspent.

Critics also said that the Obama administration has stepped back from pressuring the food industry to increase healthy options available to kids — a charge the White House denied.

"We are incredibly proud of the commitments that many food companies have made, and are continuing to work with others to advocate for even more change to make sure our children are getting the healthy, nutritious food they need," said Sam Kass, a senior White House policy adviser on food initiatives.

The report quoted interviews with members of the food industry who touted the success of their White House lobbying and alleged that the president and First Lady did not advocate for guidelines on healthy food that were drafted by administration agencies.

Nick Papas, a White House spokesman, disagreed.

"The Obama Administration consistently supported the Interagency Working Group and we were disappointed when Congress granted the food industry's requests and placed new demands on the working group," he said in a statement to Reuters.

The purported trend nevertheless elicited a strong reaction from the head of the Senate Health Committee.

"I'm upset with the White House," Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) told Reuters.

"They went wobbly in the knees. When it comes to kids' health, they shouldn't go wobbly in the knees."

Read more from Reuters's 4,500-word report here.