U.S. Right to Know is a nonprofit public health research group. We investigate corporate wrongdoing and government failures that threaten our health, environment or food system. We work in the public interest to help keep families healthy.

We uncover, report on and share documents obtained through public records laws and from whistleblowers, and collaborate with public health academics and journalists around the world. Our investigations into the pesticide and ultra-processed food industries have been reported on worldwide, leading to four New York Times articles; more than a dozen articles in the BMJ, one of the world’s leading medical journals; and 16 co-authored peer-reviewed public health journal articles. Our team has also reported extensively on the origins of Covid-19 and high-risk virological research.

A Lancet Global Health report named U.S. Right to Know as an example of public health investigative work that challenges the corporate playbook, alongside Transparency International and Open Secrets. See also links to our extensive global news coverage.

Because of the work we do, powerful entities have tried to undermine our credibility. We invite you to read more about this problem and our work:

• “Transparency advocate Gary Ruskin wanted to know how the powerful food and agrochemical industries influence public universities and their research … His numerous public records requests have produced documents that have exposed relationships between universities and companies like Monsanto, but the agrochemical industry is fighting to keep these ties secret,” reported the Freedom of the Press Foundation.
• A Monsanto document “USRTK FOIA Communications Plan” outlines the company’s PR strategies to counteract our investigation. “USRTK’s plan will impact the entire industry,” the document states.
• Monsanto’s ‘intelligence center’ targeted U.S. Right to Know and singers like Neil Young, reported The Guardian.

We invite you to read our work.

• Our fact sheets on chemicals of concern, including artificial sweeteners and pesticides, have been read by over 1 million people.
• We collaborate with the UCSF Industry Documents Library to give the public free access to documents we uncover in our investigations of the ultra-processed food and chemical industries.
• Our team has led reporting on the Monsanto Roundup cancer trials, pesticide industry science denial and disinformation, and the front groups and academics companies rely on for product defense.
• Findings from our Covid-19 origins investigation have been covered in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Science, the BMJ, Journal of Medical Ethics and many other outlets.

Our journalism awards:

U.S. Right to Know investigative reporter Natasha Gilbert won first prize in the Global AMR Media Awards for the Pan American region in 2024. Gilbert was the first to report on US efforts to weaken global commitments to reduce antimicrobial resistance.  

U.S. Right to Know received the James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, NorCal Chapter, 2021.

Donors & IRS filings

Our major donors and IRS filings are available here.

We hope you will support our right to know and help expand our investigations by donating today.

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