Is research independent?

Good morning, or good evening - depending where you are.
On December 15th 2013, one of the largest web media about olive oil (in our opinion) "The Olive Oil Times" (OOT) published an article reporting the North American Olive Oil Association opinion about the real usefulness of the latest industry report issued by the U.S. International Trade Commision by the same NAOOA's President Eryn A. Balch (read the article). If what the "Olive Oil Times" reports is correct, among the other complains one really astonished us: (quoting the OOT) "The USITC report cited various studies by the University of California at Davis Olive Center as facts to support its findings even though the Olive Center is, Balch wrote, “a marketing agent for California olive oil with a vested interest in promoting domestically.”
So, according to these sentences the University of California at Davis Olive Center is a "marketing agent".  A research center that brings with him the reputation of one of the most important universities worldwide: how many researchers work hard in less famous Universities around the world with less "echo"?  Now, looking at the bottom of the homepage of the University of California at Davis Olive Center's website (the same research center that questioned some olive oil quality assessment standards and procedures months ago) it appears the Robert Mondavi Institute logo. Now, if even the NAOOA questions its independency, the point is: should we trust them?

Thanks