Cofounder & Research Director (Volunteer)

Elise Hutchinson, PhD

Elise is a cofounder of foodfacts.org, she has a PhD in cognitive linguistics and focuses on fighting misinformation & creating meaningful debate.

About Elise Hutchinson, PhD

Elise is one of the founders of foodfacts.org. She is a linguistics professional who was awarded Summa Cum Laude for her PhD thesis, which focused on the cognitive and discursive mechanisms behind effective persuasion, particularly in the long term. She is passionate about finding ways to fight against the spread of misinformation and disinformation, and to generate meaningful, constructive debates.

She is Director of Research and Co-Editor in Chief at foodfacts.org. Her responsibilities include:

  • Conducting research into misinformation, its mechanisms and evidence-based methods to fight it effectively
  • Training all of our volunteer fact-checkers
  • Overseeing the fact-checking process, from selecting claims to fact-checks, writing fact-checks to editing final drafts
  • Content creation

Elise earned her PhD at the Université de Neuchâtel and currently lives in England.

Articles featuring  

Elise Hutchinson, PhD

FACT CHECK
Opinion
Media Literacy

The Traffic Lights System: a guide to nutrition misinformation on social media

The Traffic Lights System is a guide explaining how nutrition misinformation works and why it spreads so fast.
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Environment

Examining Paul Saladino's response to Sir David Attenborough's claims on meat sustainability

Paul Saladino reacts to Sir David Attenborough's recommendation to adopt largely plant-based diets for sustainability reasons. This fact-check examines Saladino's arguments and the evidence he uses to support the claim that the earth can sustain more meat eaters.
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Food Systems

Salt debate: Are we really better off with a beef burger? What does the data say?

Too salty to be healthy? What's the big picture comparing beef burgers to plant-based meat?
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Nutrition

‘Going vegan destroys the environment’ says Fox News. Is there evidence of this?

Fox News claims that veganism harms the environment, but evidence shows plant-based diets are significantly more sustainable.
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Media Literacy

Exposing misinformation: how influencers twist the truth on social media

Misinformation Detractors: How Social Media Influencers Deflect Accountability in Nutrition Conversations
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Media Literacy

Fact-checking the firefighter analogy for cholesterol and heart disease

We break down why the firefighter analogy doesn’t hold up, and what decades of research really say about cholesterol’s role in heart disease.
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Nutrition

Should we compare smoothies and doughnuts?

Yes, both have sugar—but only one comes with fiber, nutrients, and a blender instead of a fryer.
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Environment

What's the impact of food transport on sustainability?

Food miles make headlines, but what’s on your plate matters way more than where it came from.
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Nutrition

Dr. Paul Saladino suggests "Olive oil is not for cooking and should not be heated."

The 'don’t cook with olive oil' myth? Burned.
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Health

Is ginger good for you? Or are the benefits of this "superfood" overstated?

Many people eat ginger when they're feeling unwell, but are ginger's health benefits anecdotal or based in evidence? We find out in this fact-check!
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Media Literacy

Exposing misinformation: how influencers twist the truth on social media

Misinformation Detractors: How Social Media Influencers Deflect Accountability in Nutrition Conversations