Big Food and Big Ag are clearly focused on manipulating government to implement policies that strengthen their foothold in the marketplace and quash any initiatives to limit their profits. They also focus on manipulating science, public health groups, professional societies, and public opinion through even more massive efforts.
The food industry is not going to change overnight. We have to be on the lookout for some of the industry’s most nefarious tactics: dubious, if not fake, science and sly partnerships.
When I was in medical school, I thought science was a beautiful, pristine field full of integrity and truth. But as I’ve paid closer attention, I’ve discovered that nutrition studies are highly corrupted by the food industry. Big Food is furiously promoting false science.
The food industry also buys loyalty from a wide range of prominent organizations we believe to be credible and independent sources of advice. Industry spends billions on corporate social responsibility programs that make strange bedfellows, but that spending achieves two important objectives for the food industry: It can generate outspoken support, and it can buy silence. But most important, it can trick and deceive you, the consumer. After all, the industry’s ultimate goal is to get you to buy more of their products.
Follow along, but be warned: What you’re about to read will shock you.