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
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
Nutrition

Beyond Headlines: Fact-checking The Telegraph’s claims on the health effects of plant-based alternatives

If headlines had nutrition labels, some would read: 'High in spin, low in substance.
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Nutrition

Paul Saladino M.D says "Champions need meat!"

Champions eat meat... but some are also plant based. What we all need, is to fact-check bold dietary claims.
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
Health

Is acrylamide the most dangerous ingredient in your food?

Why saying that Acrylamide is the most dangerous hidden ingredient ignores the basic science about cooking food
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Nutrition

Red 3 in the spotlight: should you stop eating cocktail cherries?

Social media posts often compare EU and US food safety regulations. We explore the relevance of such comparisons around food additives and cancer links.
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Health

Are non-organic strawberries unsafe? Examining the evidence

Strawberries and pesticide residues: what you need to know
FACT CHECK
Opinion
Nutrition

Do vegans lack protein and amino acids? A balanced look at the evidence

It turns out that bold claims about protein tend to ignore the nuances in the research.
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