As you know, in order to be approved for the HON seal, Web sites must go through a rigorous review process by the HON committee to ensure the Web site follows the HON's eight principles. The following explains how the Council's Web site (www.caloriecontrol.org) meets all eight of the HON's principles as described here http://www.hon.ch/HONcode/Conduct.html:

1. Authoritative - At the bottom of the site there is a disclaimer that notes, "This site is designed primarily as an educational resource. It is not intended to provide medical advice on personal health matters or to guide treatment -- which is only appropriately done by a qualified health professional."
2. Complementary - As noted above, the Council clearly states that the information contained on this Web site should not replace the doctor-patient relationship and is only intended as an educational resource.
3. Privacy - Caloriecontrol.org respects the privacy and confidentiality of its visitors, and does not require visitors to submit any personal information.
4. Attribution - The information contained on the Web site is referenced with scientific studies and research. For example, this brochure on acesulfame potassium (http://www.caloriecontrol.org/acesulf.html) provides a link for references in order to support the information provided. In addition, the vast majority of the information the Council presents is based on public information from government and reputable health organizations such as the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Mayo Clinic, American Diabetes Association, etc. Examples: "Artificial Sweeteners: No Calories¹ Sweet!" on the FDA site: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2006/406_sweeteners.html, and "Artificial Sweeteners: A safe alternative to sugar" on the Mayo Clinic site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-diet/NU00592. Also, as required by the HON principles, the date when a clinical page was last modified is clearly displayed.
5. Justifiability - Claims regarding the benefits and safety of low-calorie foods and beverages made on the Web site are carefully supported by scientific research and from information from the FDA, Mayo Clinic, American Dietetic Association, American Medical Association, etc.
6. Transparency - As you noted, the Council discloses it "is an international non-profit association representing the low-calorie and reduced-fat food and beverage industry." The link to our About page (although we realize you seem to prefer a separate button for that) is on every page of our site, not just the homepage.
7. Financial disclosure - The Council discloses its funding sources on its Companies and Products page as required by the HON principles.
8. Advertising Policy - There is no advertising on the Council's Web site.
Your article took issue with the fact that caloriecontrol.org presents an industry's point of view. However, the Council is simply communicating information provided by government, respected scientists and major health organizations. Numerous studies indicate low-calorie foods and beverages are safe and provide consumers many benefits and the Council provides information on this subject to reassure the millions of consumers who enjoy and benefit from the availability of these products.
In addition, you included a link to a negative WebMD article on aspartame. However, we feel you should have also directed your readers to articles written by WebMD that are positive with regard to aspartame's safety, such as http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/which-artificial-sweetner-is-right-for-you?page=2 and http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20060404/aspartame-cancer-link-refuted.
It appears the Council's Web site would also qualify for the Consumer Reports WebWatch Guidelines, and we thank you for bringing that to our attention. We will apply for this honorable accreditation and modify any parts of our Web site that do not adhere to these guidelines.
We believe the Council's Web site explicitly follows the guidelines of the HON seal and provides consumers with relevant, scientifically documented information on the ingredients used in the wide variety of low-calorie foods and beverages. And in answer to your question, "Can their Web site be trusted to be a good source of unbiased information for dieters?" we would like to point out that HON is not in the business of evaluating whether information provided is "unbiased" - that is not their purpose nor should it be. Instead, the requirement is to abide by the "attribution" standard, meaning information contained on this site is supported by clear references to source data, which we have done with relevant references and links.
Also, please note that the Council has not hired a "PR agency". Instead, the Council, a small, nonprofit trade organization without a large budget, formed in 1966, is professionally staffed by the Kellen Company, an association management company (AMC). Wikipedia has a good explanation of AMC's here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_management_company. Kellen Interactive is the Internet division of the Kellen Company.
We respectfully submit this information in hopes of some corrections or clarification. We have no doubt that some organizations and web sites have mistakenly and unethically used the HON seal, but caloriecontrol.org clearly is not one of those, and we would like to see the record set straight. Thank you for your consideration of our request.
Sincerely,
Keith Keeney
Vice President, Communications
Calorie Control Council

Here's my response:
First, thanks for writing! We appreciate it.
Second, we stand by the earlier post. Here's why.
1. We didn't say, or mean to imply, that the Calorie Control Council's site somehow came by its seal inappropriately. The post criticizes the HON seal, hence its headline. The blog post also notes HON's intentions are probably good and that there's probably good information on the CCC site. WebWatch has published some research on HON and health seals here.
2. Mr. Keeney is correct: "We would like to point out that HON is not in the business of evaluating whether information provided is 'unbiased.' " That's the central point of the post, and central to our criticism of the HON seal.
3. We didn't link to a negative article about aspartame. We linked to an article on WebMD about the emotional debate surrounding aspartame which, in fact, quotes the Calorie Control Council. We thank you for the additional links.
4. We didn't say the Calorie Control Council hired a PR agency. We said the site is produced by a PR firm. Kellen Interactive on its home page markets its services as "website creation, website promotion and Internet marketing." Promotion and marketing are synonymous functions with public relations. For more about Kellen, its various divisions and its clients, read this entry on SourceWatch and this one.
Further, the Wikipedia entry cited in Mr. Keeney's letter on "association management companies" lists as its primary source an "AMC Institute News Release." Clicking on that link leads you here, to the Web site of the AMC Institute, "the source for professional association management companies." On the home page of the AMC site, the two main media contacts listed, Stan Samples and Kate Grusich, are employees of Kellen Communications.
5. There is no "about us" link on the home page. The link is as I described it. The "Companies and Products Page" is also as I described it, a list of companies, under the heading, "A Select List of Companies and Products Serving Health-Conscious Consumers." It doesn't say, "these are the companies that fund the Calorie Control Council." In addition, the site's URL describes a valence, not an organization. "caloriecontrol.org" sounds like a Web site about dieting. "caloriecontrolcouncil.org" sounds like the Web site of an industry organization, which is what this Web site is.