Food Babe - Hot On The Trail

Thank you for signing this petition to stop the routine use of antibiotics in the production of Subway meats.

Help us put the pressure on!

  1. Sharing this petition via email with at least 3 friends.

  2. Sharing your support on Facebook, Twitter, and Google.

  3. Contact Subway directly:


Don't think your voice matters?

Petitions and sharing this kind of information leads to real change! Here are 8 recent examples of how your voice helped make a difference:

Starbucks Campaign

In August 2014, FoodBabe.com published a blog post, “You’ll Never Guess What’s In A Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (Hint: You Won’t Be Happy)”, which exposed their lack of transparency about ingredients and that the Pumpkin Spice Latte contained no pumpkin and Class IV caramel coloring that is linked to cancer. This blog post went viral and within days major news outlets – from Entrepreneur to Fox News – picked up the story. There was a swarm of media attention focused Starbucks, and they responded to reporters that they would phase caramel coloring out of their drinks and would also list their drink ingredients online. One year later on August 17, 2015, Starbucks published the new ingredients in their reformulated Pumpkin Spice Latte, which now includes real pumpkin and no caramel coloring, on their blog. Starbucks is in the process of removing caramel coloring from all of their drinks, and has stated that they will list their drink ingredients online (for the first time in history) in 2016.

“Starbucks Corp. is changing the recipe for its pumpkin spice latte a year after the coffee-shop chain was criticized for using artificial ingredients in the beverage. The espresso drink, which the coffee chain has served seasonally for about a decade, will be made without artificial caramel coloring this year, the Seattle-based company said today on its website. Starbucks also said it will use real pumpkin in the drink this year. The ingredient change came after Vani Hari, the blogger who calls herself “Food Babe,” criticized Starbucks for using caramel coloring last year. U.S. consumers are increasingly interested in avoiding artificial flavors and colors in their food and beverages”.

- Bloomberg Business

“Though Starbucks did not credit her with motivating the change, the PSL’s real pumpkin came after Vani Hari, a food blogger known as the “Food Babe,” targeted the drink in a post last year… Hari’s list of alleged problems with the PSL was long. Among her complaints: She took issue with the drink’s caramel coloring, an alleged carcinogen; objected to its high sugar content; decried Starbucks’ use of “Monsanto Milk,” or milk “from cows that are fed genetically modified feed all day long”; and she pointed out that it had no pumpkin”.

- Washington Post
Kellogs and General Mills Campaign

In January 2015, FoodBabe.com launched a petition asking Kellogg’s and General Mills to remove the preservative BHT from their cereals in the United States, as they have done in other countries. BHT is a synthetic preservative that is thought to be an endocrine disruptor and linked to cancer in some animal studies. The petition received over 30,000 signatures in just 24 hours, and within hours General Mills told the press that they are working on removing BHT from their cereals in the U.S. and Kellogg’s told reporters that they are “actively testing natural alternatives” to BHT. General Mills has made progress and has since removed BHT from some varieties of their cereal – Golden Grahams, Cocoa Puffs, Banana Nut Cheerios, and Corn Chex no longer contain BHT.

“Just one day after food blogger Vani Hari launched a petition calling for Kellogg and General Mills to drop a preservative from their cereals, she’s already getting a huge reaction. The petition has gained more than 30,000 signatures and General Mills has responded to indignant cereal shoppers on social media saying that the company is on the path to remove the chemical from its products”.

- Entrepreneur

“On Thursday, General Mills tweeted to concerned consumers, informing them that they are in the process of removing a preservative from their foods that has been banned in other parts of the world. This came in response to actions by influential blogger Vani Hari of Foodbabe.com, who launched a petition crusade against General Mills and Kellogg’s for their use of Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) in many of their cereals. Within a few hours, the petition gained over 17,000 signatures (the figure is now more than 32,000) demanding the companies remove the controversial chemical from their breakfast foods”.

- The Christian Science Monitor
ABInBev and Miller Coors Campaign

In June 2014, FoodBabe.com launched a petition to ask the two most popular beer companies in the U.S., Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors, to publish the complete ingredient lists for all of their beers online. Within only 24 hours, the petition received over 40,000 signatures and gained exposure on several mainstream media outlets including ABC News, USA Today and the Chicago Tribune. This same day, Anheuser-Busch announced that they would agree to publish their complete ingredients online and invited me to meet their brewmasters in St. Louis. On the heels of this announcement, MillerCoors quickly followed suit and promised to list ingredients online, starting with their most popular brands. Anheuser-Busch has since published the ingredients for several of their beers online, and has vowed to publish them all within coming months.

“The rapid response by AB InBev and SABMiller – which capitulated to Ms Hari’s demands within 36 hours – underscores the growing power of social media over corporate policy…

The Belgian-Brazilian company, the world’s largest brewer, listed its ingredients for its Budweiser and Bud Light brands on its website after the food activist gathered just 44,000 signatories demanding to know what was in the beers…SABMiller did the same for its Miller Lite and Coors beers. US labelling requirements for beer in the US differ from those in the European Union, where ingredients are listed. Ms Hari said she was “thrilled with Anheuser-Busch’s quick response”, telling her supporters that: “It’s pretty amazing that making your voice heard can change the policies of a multibillion-dollar company overnight.”

- Financial Times

“One day after a high-profile, food-blogging activist launched a national petition demanding that it and archrival MillerCoors post the ingredients of all their beers online, A-B on Thursday agreed to do just that. “As American consumer needs evolve, we want to meet their expectations,” said Terri Vogt, vice president of communications of Anheuser-Busch, in a statement. “Therefore, we are working to list our beer ingredients on our website, just as you would see for other food and non-alcohol beverage producers.”

- USA Today
Subway Campaign

In February 2014, FoodBabe.com launched a petition against the world’s largest sandwich chain, Subway, to remove azodicarbonamide from their sandwich bread. Due to the strength of the Food Babe Army, the petition gathered more than 50,000 signatures in just 24 hours. Subway quickly responded by announcing plans to remove the chemical from all of their sandwich breads, and accomplished this in April 2014. Subsequently, Pizza Hut, Bimbo Bakeries, Martin’s Potato Bread, Nature’s Own, Olive Garden, Starbucks, and Publix Grocery Store have announced they also have plans to remove the chemical from their products.

“I commend Subway for finally responding to me and now over 57,000 concerned citizens. Their swift action is a testament to what power petitions and individuals who sign them can have, Hari said.”

- ABC World News

Subway announced last week that it would eliminate azodicarbonamide, a chemical that commercial bakers use to increase the strength and pliancy of dough, but, as noted by the consumer crusader Vani Hari, is also used for the same purposes in yoga mats and shoe soles.

- NY Times
Kraft

After petitioning Kraft with over 350,000 signatures and leading a strong 7 month campaign to educate the public about the dangers of artificial food dyes, Kraft starting removing these harmful petroleum-based food dyes from their Mac & Cheese products marketed to children.

"I was so shaken with the news that my body was trembling," she told ABCNews.com today. "I have been fighting so hard for these 348,000 people, being their voice." Hari, 34, delivered the signatures to Kraft headquarters last spring and said she "continues to keep the pressure on" through her writing and getting others to call corporate headquarters and "waging a war" on Facebook. "I have built an army of people concerned about food and not only what their families are eating, but all of America," Hari said. She has been worried about the additives -- yellow dye 5 and yellow dye 6, which she said added nothing to the flavor and may be dangerous to kids' health. Hari did some investigating and found that Kraft makes the same Mac and Cheese for its consumers in the United Kingdom, but because of stricter rules regarding additives, it is dye-free. There, Kraft uses natural beta carotene and paprika to make it almost the same color."

- ABC News

“I want to applaud Vani for the work she’s doing, this is how you change the health of our nation.”

- Dr. Mehmet Oz

“Vani Hari’s blog, FoodBabe.com, and her “leading by example” style of food activism is an inspiration to a growing number of people not just in the US but around the world.”

- Dr. Mercola

Vani Hari, who started the petition on Change.org and runs the website FoodBabe.com, said she expects Kraft will remove artificial dyes from other products down the road. "I knew all along that it wasn't going to be an overnight change," said Hari, who is based in Charlotte, N.C. "This is a big corporation, and this is one of their biggest products."

- Associated Press

"Food Babe. She is a force to be reckoned with, most recently with her efforts to get Kraft to pull artificial food colors and dyes from the products that they sell here in the United States. And she has made incredible strides, most likely because of her gorgeous approach and the fact that Kraft has already removed artificial dyes from their products in other countries. But she is so much more than just boxed noodles, she is a force for good when it comes to cleaning up our food supply."

- Allergy Kids Foundation (Author Robyn O’Brien)
General Mills

Cheerios removed GMOs after major campaign, petition and actions led by GMO Inside and consumers.

One year ago, in November 2012, GMO Inside starting calling on consumers to put pressure on General Mills to make Cheerios without GMOs due to concerns over the health and environmental impacts of GMOs. Cheerios are a top selling cereal in the U.S. and often one of the first solid foods fed to children. As soon as the campaign launched, tens of thousands of consumers started flooding Cheerios' Facebook page with concerned comments regarding GMOs in Cheerios and used an app put out by Cheerios to spell out anti-GMO messages in the Cheerios font. In October 2013, GMO Inside issued a real corporate responsibility report for General Mills, and called on consumers to email and call the General Mills to get GMOs out of Cheerios. GMO Inside also put out a video highlighting the GMOs in Cheerios that was watched by over 200,000 viewers. Over 25,000 people took part in the email actions and calls to the company. In the past week callers to the company were told that Cheerios would have a big announcement about GMOs soon.

Green America Corporate Responsibility Director Todd Larsen stated: "Removing GMOs from original Cheerios is an important victory in getting GMOs out of our food supply and an important first step for General Mills. Original Cheerios in its famous yellow box will now be non-GMO and this victory sends a message to all food companies that consumers are increasingly looking for non-GMO products and companies need to meet that demand."

John W Roulac, GMO Inside co-founder and co-chair stated: "This is a huge victory for the non-GMO movement. I want to thank all the "GMO Insiders "for using social media to convince America's largest packed food brand to go non-GMO with a major product. History is being made today and more food brands will rush towards non-GMO foods."

- Wall Street Journal
Chick-fil-a Campaign

After a blog post entitled “Chick-fil-A or Chemical-fil-A” went viral from you sharing it, officials at Chick-fil-A contacted me to consult on several ingredient changes. After 1 year of follow ups, Chick-fil-A has started to remove controversial ingredient TBHQ made from butane, high fructose corn syrup and artificial food dyes from their menu. Chick-fil-A eventually went on to commit to go antibiotic-free within 5 years - which was our #1 request.

“Chick-fil-A Removes Corn Syrup From Products After Blogger Takedown”

- Entrepreneur Magazine

The changes come after blogger Vani Hari wrote a post in 2011 titled "Chick-fil-A or Chemical Fil-A?" on her site, FoodBabe.com. It noted that the chain's sandwich had nearly 100 ingredients, including peanut oil with TBHQ, a chemical made from butane. Hari, based in Charlotte, N.C., continued writing about Chick-fil-A's ingredients. Then last year, the company invited her to its headquarters to spend the day talking with executives. "They took my concerns and started developing a road map of how to address them," Hari said. On Wednesday, she said she was notified about the changes in an email from the company.

- Associated Press

Chick-fil-A eventually responded, inviting Ms. Hari in October 2012 to spend a day at its headquarters in Atlanta, where she discussed her concern about some ingredients as well as larger issues like the use of chicken from animals whose feed contains antibiotics and the potential for labeling products that have genetically engineered components.

- NY Times

How This Food Blogger Convinced Chick-fil-A to Go Antibiotics Free

- Entrepreneur Magazine

"This is a huge deal," says Vani Hari, health activist and creator of the website foodbabe.com, of Chick-fil-A's action. "This is the most concerning food issue of our time, because if we can't treat diseases with antibiotics, it has the potential to wipe out the human race." Antibiotics aren't just used to prevent diseases on chickens, but, she says, are typically injected at birth to fatten them up."

- USA Today

After tremendous attention regarding an investigation and subsequent petition to Chipotle, they responded and posted all ingredients online and have begun removing GMOs.

"Few wins are sweeter than when one person stands up to an enormous, international food chain and prevails. In this case, the one person is the blogger known as Foodbabe, aka Vani Hari, and, really, it’s not just her, since her whole community was in on it, and, actually, the taste is more south-of-the-border savory than sweet."

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