ILSI has been inaccurately characterized as championing tobacco interests in the 1980’s. This characterization started with a WHO memorandum and has been embellished over the years by other authors and publications. Although this general allegation has often been repeated, neither the WHO memorandum nor any ILSI critic has ever identified a single instance in which ILSI contacted officials of international organizations or governments on behalf of tobacco companies, or in which ILSI carried out a public relations or other campaign in favor of tobacco products. The original source of the tobacco-related allegation is an unsigned, non-peer-reviewed, seven-page memorandum posted on the WHO website in 2001 by the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative.  The memorandum criticized ILSI because internal tobacco company documents obtained in litigation against those companies suggested that tobacco companies were interested in ILSI’s work, including a study on the dangers of smoke inhalation. However, no studies funded by ILSI cast doubt on the dangers of smoking, as has been alleged by some writers.  An ILSI publication, contains three (out of a total of 33) chapters that address tobacco. Two of those papers unequivocally demonstrated that secondhand smoke has adverse effects on respiratory infection and lung function, especially in children, and that epidemiological data show a “statistically significant increase in lung cancer risk of about 40%” for nonsmokers married to smokers. The third article did not address risk, but rather compared the strengths and weaknesses of study designs for assessing risk. As ILSI observed in a 2002 letter to the American Journal of Public Health, there is “little question that the tobacco industry has engaged in a variety of tactics to thwart public health efforts,” but “[a]s a scientific organization, ILSI deplores these tactics and is strongly against any attempts to twist and manipulate science.” For a current statement of ILSI’s longstanding, official position on the dangers of tobacco, see the ILSI Statement on Tobacco Products and Companies that Produce and Sell Them.

In 2015, the Executive Board of the World Health Assembly terminated ILSI’s status as an accredited NGO with the World Health Organization (WHO). The reason given by WHO Executive Board was not, as has been claimed by some, that ILSI was too close to the industry interests. Rather, the WHO Executive Board gave as its reason the fact that ITC, an Indian company whose food division had been a member of ILSI’s India-based entity, also had other divisions that manufactured and sold tobacco products. Those non-food divisions of ITC had no relationship whatsoever with ILSI India, which did not engage in activities relating to tobacco. In addition, months before the WHO Executive Board’s decision, ILSI amended its bylaws to disqualify from membership in ILSI entities any company whose subsidiary or parent companies, or co-divisions were involved in the manufacturing, sale, or distribution of tobacco products. Although ILSI called this decision to the attention of WHO before their Executive Board’s decision, the WHO Executive Board proceeded to terminate ILSI’s NGO status on the ground that it had no evidence that ILSI had implemented its decision. Although ILSI could have provided such evidence, the WHO Executive Board did not offer that opportunity.

ILSI no longer having NGO status did not disrupt ILSI’s longstanding collaborative relationship with WHO, under which ILSI and WHO had agreed upon annual workplans and ILSI provided resources to support activities of mutual interest to ILSI and WHO. WHO remained willing to accept ILSI’s support. However, in 2016, ILSI’s Board of Trustees voted to disengage from activities with WHO while WHO decided upon and implemented the then-pending Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors. A WHO official informed ILSI that if the Framework was adopted and ILSI remained engaged in activities with WHO, WHO would likely characterize ILSI as a business association under its new Framework, because ILSI received the majority of its funding from industry. The WHO official indicated that in classifying ILSI, WHO would not take into consideration any measures taken by ILSI to ensure that it served the public interest. ILSI’s Board was unwilling to accept what it considered a false categorization by WHO. For this reason, the ILSI Board decided to end its relationship with WHO, at least temporarily.

When a scientist serves on the Board of an ILSI entity, participates in an ILSI scientific committee, or engages in other ILSI activities they serve in an individual capacity, not as representatives of their organizations. These representatives serve as unpaid volunteer experts to ILSI and have their primary professional roles outside of ILSI. Such individuals ordinarily do not represent ILSI when they are participating in non-ILSI activities. However, on those rare occasions where they do represent ILSI in third-party meetings, ILSI expects them to clearly state their representative status and to comply with the disclosure rules established by those third parties.

Dr. Alex Malaspina, ILSI founder and former Coca-Cola executive, ceased to be an ILSI Trustee, Officer, or representative of any kind in 2001. He has no position with ILSI and any comments he has made subsequently are as a long-retired private citizen with no authority to direct or influence ILSI’s actions.

The ILSI Board of Trustees Executive Committee suspended its affiliation with ILSI Mexico on 2 November 2015 for engaging in activities that appeared to support the repeal of Mexico’s sugar-sweetened beverage tax [press release]. As reflected in the minutes of the Executive Committee meeting, ILSI imposed the suspension because its policies explicitly prohibit engaging in commercial or lobbying activities. ILSI Mexico was reinstated 12 July 2016 after requirements were met to conform to the ILSI Code of Ethics, overhaul their existing Board of Trustees, and other actions to prevent recurrence. Ultimately, ILSI Mexico was never able to recover from the suspension, and as of 10 October 2019, ILSI Mexico has ceased operations. Future ILSI activities in Mexico will be carried out by ILSI Mesoamerica.

On June 3, 2019 Dr. Sarah Steele, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge, and colleagues published an article in Globalization and Health titled “Are industry-funded charities promoting “advocacy-led studies” or “evidence-based science”?: a case study of the International Life Sciences Institute.” The authors of that article initially claimed (incorrectly) that ILSI had punished ILSI Mexico because it was not sufficiently favorable to industry interests. ILSI subsequently pointed out to the journal that the authors had misinterpreted ILSI’s press release about the suspension, and that the sanction of suspension had been to punish prohibited legislative advocacy by the Mexican entity. After considering the minutes of the Executive Committee decision regarding the suspension, the journal issued the following formal correction: The journal determined they misinterpreted correspondence concerning the ILSI Mexico entity and have since issued a formal correction.