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Cofounder

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

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Articles featuring

Elise Hutchinson, PhD

Toxic bread or TikTok panic? What you should know about azodicarbonamide (aka the yoga mat chemical)

Azodicarbonamide is found in some breads and yoga mats — but the doses differ by millions. Here's what the science says about the actual risk to consumers.

Prenatal vitamin capsules spilling from a plain amber bottle beside folate-rich foods — spinach, lentils, orange and asparagus

Paul Saladino’s anti-folic acid advice for pregnant women is not just wrong: it could be dangerous

Folic acid in pregnancy: evidence-based guidance vs. viral claims. We explain what Paul Saladino’s claims show, and don’t show, plus red flag checks.

A spread of soy foods including tempeh, tofu, edamame, soy milk and miso

“Not real food”? Says Eddie Abbew. A closer look at claims about tempeh, soy, and men’s health.

Eddie Abbew dismisses tempeh as fake food — but it's one of the most nutrient-dense plant proteins available. Here's what the nutritional evidence shows.

A pile of raw potatoes of different varieties on rustic wood

Are potatoes really not ‘human food’? We checked the history and science

Candi Frazier claims potatoes aren't natural human food — but solanine levels in modern potatoes are safe and humans have eaten them for over 10,000 years.

Exposing misinformation: how influencers twist the truth on social media

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

Matcha may affect iron absorption, but you shouldn't really worry about it

Matcha has increased in popularity of the last few years, but with it, so have rumous about potential harms. We unpack the evidence in this fact check.

Fact-checking whether carnivore diet babies are “super babies”?

Some influencers are claiming that babies on a carnivore diet become "super babies" - but what does the evidence say?

Does eating croissants really raise cancer risk? Fact-checking France’s cadmium warning and what it means for the UK

France’s cadmium warning is real, but croissants aren’t uniquely “cancerous” – the risk comes from lifelong exposure to cadmium in many staples.

How viral posts about "unnatural" apples may be missing what the science actually shows

Modern apples have been selectively bred, but does that make them bad for you? The science suggests otherwise.

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!

Exposing misinformation: how influencers twist the truth on social media

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

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