Northeastern University Project to Examine Ways Food, Tobacco Companies Shift Responsibility to Consumers

The National Cancer Institute has awarded a $2.7 million grant to Northeastern University Law School for a five-year project led by anti-tobacco advocate Professor Richard Daynard. “Our goal is to examine how the tobacco industry has used personal responsibility rhetoric to influence courts, legislatures, regulatory agencies and public opinion, and to see to what extent the food and beverage industries have made use of similar strategies,” Daynard said in a press release. “If the burden for addressing the harm is left with the consumer rather than the manufacturer, the manufacturer benefits – often at the expense of public health.” See Northeastern University Press Release, May 28, 2009.