Highlights:• The Health Council has removed her from it Alcohol Advisory Committee, which is currently preparing new guidelines for alcohol consumption, for failing to disclose her collaboration with a Harvard professor, who promised the alcohol industry favorable scientific results.

• Beulens and the Harvard professior worked on a large-scale study that came under scrutiny due to influence from the alcohol industry. The study was partly funded by major alcohol producers such as Heineken, AB InBev, and Diageo.

• Professor Beulens was paid by the alcohol industry for publications in which she concluded that moderate drinking is beneficial for the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

• Beulens acknowledges that she has not always been transparent in the past regarding funding she received from the alcohol industry.

Why is this important?

• Alcohol guidelines form the basis for government policies and are translated into government publications about responsible drinking.

How was this investigated?

• The Investigative Desk and Follow the Money analysed scientific publications, (internal) documents from the alcohol lobby, documents acquired through Freedom of Information Act requests, and spoke with scientists and lobby experts.