In this post, I will walk you through exactly what to do when you are attacked online for being part of the good food revolution. There are a lot detractors who have banded together to stop the social media fire storm we activists have created to educate the public about the impact of factory farming, GMOs and chemical additives in our food supply. We are finally getting evidence of who’s behind this opposition, (and there is a lot more evidence coming). Please after you’ve read this – share this with your friends and family. We need to expose their tactics and tricks, and arm our loved ones with the truth!
In the past year, we’ve been able to influence several multi-million dollar food companies into improving their products and policies, and as a result we are front-and-center on the minds of the food industry. They are paying attention to us and the work that we are doing – actually they are watching every step we take! I’m thrilled with the impact of our activism and what it has done to rock the industry, yet when the following announcement popped in my inbox… I was floored!
“Food Babe and her following” are being DIRECTLY TARGETED by Ketchum PR firm. Yes, us!!!
Who is Ketchum? They are the PR firm that represents The Council for Biotechnology Information (the biotech industry group openly funded by BASF, Bayer, Dow, DuPont, Monsanto, Syngenta) to run the industry website GMO Answers that promotes GMO technology.
Ketchum hosted a panel at a conference in December in Paris, which was dedicated to strategies for how to “tackle” us – the Food Babe Army – and other activists who care deeply about our food supply. They mention the need for this panel is that we have had a “negatively impact” on the food industry.
Negative impact?!?! Apparently they think doing away with synthetic chemicals, routine antibiotics, controversial food additives, and increasing transparency in the food supply is a negative impact.
The President of Monsanto Canada, Michiel De Jongh, was recently commenting on the Food Babe facebook page in an effort to defend the use of GMOs…. (they are obviously paying attention to us!)…
Is our work negatively impacting the public or the bottom line of the food companies? The answer is obvious.
Just in the last few weeks major food companies like Campbell’s, General Mills, Mars and Conagra all agreed to label GMOs – just like they already do in 64 other countries in the world. The work we do now will impact the lives of millions of people for years down the road. We have created a marketplace for more organic food and more people are going to be healthier as a result.
“For the large established food companies, this is having disastrous consequences. Per capita soda sales are down 25 percent since 1998, mostly replaced by water… Sales of packaged cereals…are down over 25 percent since 2000… Frozen dinner sales are down nearly 12 percent from 2007 to 2013. Sales per outlet at McDonald’s have been on a downward spiral for nearly three years, with no end in sight. To survive, the food industry will need more than its current bag of tricks.” – New York Times, 11/6/15
The food industry is not happy because this means that they won’t be able to continue profiting off of cheap additives and practices that need to change.
“The new environment is frustrating for some in the food industry after decades of technological advances to make packaged food cheaper, longer lasting and more flavorful.” – Wall Street Journal, 12/1/15
All of this is not setting well with the industry and they are hiring the big guns to spread a misinformation campaign.
Richard Berman, the director of the lobbying and PR firm Berman and Company, who stated I was a “Food Bimbo” in the Washington Times, is likely behind many of the attacks on our movement. Berman has defended the chemical industry for years through dozens of nonprofit front groups that he creates. The chief science officer of one of Berman’s front groups, Joseph Perrone, was in the news last week discussing how they are mounting a “coordinated effort” to “train the media” and combat “high profile chemical skeptics…like Jessica Alba, the “Food Babe” blogger Vani Hari, and television doctors like Mehmet Oz and Joseph Mercola”…
“Part of the firm’s tactics is to use “credible messengers” and target celebrities for visibility and humor…”
Who are these “credible messengers”? We now see CLEAR AS DAY that industry PR firms have a coordinated campaign to fight us, and we need to be prepared.
If you haven’t already, you will encounter misinformation about our movement online in major news articles, facebook, twitter… and it is ramping up. I’m going to show you some examples of what to expect and how the PR firms use “internet trolls” to play their game online.
Ketchum has a long and scandalous history of paying “freelance journalists” and bloggers to manufacture news articles that support their clients interests, which appeared on national and local media outlets across the country (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Likewise and most recently, Ketchum is suspected to be secretly working with journalists to spew Monsanto propaganda and write disgraceful smear campaigns about activists (see 1, 2, 3, 4).
If you follow me on social media, if you’ve tweeted me and seen me on Facebook, or even read about our work in the news, you’ve probably seen campaigns trying to discredit me using articles such as this that quote professors who were paid by Monsanto underhandedly.
PR companies and the rise of internet trolls on Twitter and Facebook…
Ketchum once openly admitted how they use social media to combat negative press about GMOs, and then they attempted to flush this embarrassing video from the internet after their tactics were exposed by U.S. Right To Know.
“According to a Ketchum video, “positive media coverage has doubled. On Twitter, where we closely monitor the conversation, we’ve successfully balanced 80% of interactions with detractors.”…The American Farm Bureau Federation also boasts of Ketchum’s social media work in support of GMOs and the agrichemical industry. According to Andrew Walmsley of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Ketchum “seeks out negative (biotech-related) tweets on Twitter. We started that earlier this year. They’ll monitor for negative tweets and then ask (the author) to check out GMOanswers… Since we launched that there’s been about an 80 percent reduction in negative Twitter traffic as it relates to GMOs.” – Source: U.S. Right To Know
The reason that they use this technique is to create shame in sharing content (so we stop) and to create the illusion that there is negativity and ignorance around our work. They want to confuse you. So you never know who to trust and what to believe. Whereas, if you look into it, you’ll see all of the experts – scientists, non-profit groups, my advisory council – that support the removal of chemical food additives, GMOs, routine antibiotics, and the ingredients that we have campaigned about. The trolls have no basis for their negative claims about the work we do, but they keep on repeating them until someone believes it to be true.
The use of internet trolls to spread corporate and political messages on Facebook and Twitter is rampant (sources: 1, 2, 3, 4 ) and Monsanto reportedly has “an entire department dedicated to ‘debunking’ science which disagreed with theirs”. Although internet trolling has historically been effective, more people are waking up to this game and the players are getting exposed.
Some of the trolls are actual University Professors.
The Troll Game Book: How Trolls Try To Undermine Us.
- Watch us like a hawk. They are watching everything we write, say, tweet, facebook, and comment. They are always watching and looking for something (anything) to use against us.
- Monitor anytime our work is featured positively and send in a troll army to comment negatively about it.
- Promote industry funded propaganda about GMOs, farming, and food additives to blur the line between what is safe and what hasn’t been proven.
- On social media and website comment forums, use every opportunity to bash our work, using the same repeated lines over and over again – “can’t be trusted”…”fear mongerers”…”idiots”…”anti-science”… They use the same canned lines that NYU Professor Nassim Taleb has exposed in his GMO propagandists paper:
This is the basis for what is called “Astroturfing”.
Essentially, astroturfing is a term to describe fake grassroots movements generated by special interests and public-relations firms (like Ketchum).
“These campaigns are designed to make it appear that an issue has widespread public support (or public opposition) even if it doesn’t. If a campaign sows enough doubt, excitement, or skepticism about a contentious issue or individual, it can shape the opinions of real people. And that’s the primary goal.” – Source: Turf Wars
To give you an example from my own life – when I am invited to speak at events, there are groups that send in their team of internet trolls to swarm the social media profiles of the organization who invited me to speak with disparaging comments about me.
They also do this when I am featured prominently in the media or when other Facebook pages share my content. For instance, when I was featured on the cover of Experience Life magazine and when Yahoo Health featured me in some videos, the “trolls” tracked down the editors of these publications and swamped them with complaints about us.
This also happens when we launch major campaigns – hundreds of profiles are activated by a group of pages and chat rooms that help each other flood Facebook messages and Twitter with opinions in opposition of what we are asking companies to do. For example, when we asked In-N-Out burger recently to stop the routine use of antibiotics, several profiles came to In-N-Out’s Facebook Page and told them specifically not to change and not to listen to “fear mongers.”
The same thing happened after I published my investigation on Boar’s Head – astroturfers went to their Facebook page and claimed “Don’t change a thing, I love your meat” and other statements to show fake support while the post was going viral and real customers were calling and contacting Boar’s Head. They also went as far as attacking innocent advocates asking for the change.
Also when Del Monte recently announced they would be moving towards non-GMO products – the astroturfers went nuts on Twitter, claiming a fake boycott – you can see the whole thread here.
Regardless of their fake grassroots movement, it did not work – within hours of launching the campaign, In-N-Out announced they will be adopting a new antibiotics policy, and I have a feeling Boar’s Head is making some major changes as well. Del Monte stood their ground because they know their customers want non-GMO food and did not react to the onslaught of fake astroturf trolls.
What should you do when attacked by internet trolls?
- Don’t be afraid and don’t let them intimidate or harass you for standing up for what you believe in. Remember that we are all in this together, and that no matter what they say to you it is only a reflection of themselves.
- Realize that you can’t change their mind no matter what you say. They are not part of our movement, they are on the wrong side of history, but we have a different mission. It’s okay to have different missions.
- Bless them and move on. Sure, if you enjoy it, you can fight with them, but you need to protect your energy. They are trying to drown you out, distract you, and many of them are paid to do this. There is really no reason to engage with them, and you can block or ban them from your social media accounts if necessary.
- Use it as an opportunity to say something positive. Share a positive result of something we have done together every time you read something negative. For example, you could say how awesome you feel giving up processed foods or GMOs and what impact paying attention to what’s in your food has helped you and your family.
For more… Watch my recent Facebook Live broadcast on how to combat trolls in 2016!
Intellectually honest people know that we are on right side of history.
Anytime a troll tries to make you feel foolish for asking questions about food, remember that it shouldn’t be an insult to want to know exactly what’s in the food we buy. Should we just trust Ketchum, Monsanto, and paid for science campaigns? Should we trust Coca-Cola when they say yeah obesity has nothing to do with Coke, we just need to exercise more? Should we believe these people? No. We need to rise up. We need to stick together. We need to stand up for what we know is right.
Please share this post with everyone you know – exposing these tactics will continue to bring major change in the food industry and equip your loved ones with the truth!
Xo,
Vani
“The truth is incontrovertible; malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.” – Winston Churchill
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
How Covert Agents Infiltrate the Internet to Manipulate, Deceive, and Destroy Reputations
How to Identify and Remove Facebook Trolls, Gang-Stalkers, and Disinfo Agents
The Gentleman’s Guide To Forum Spies
Must watch 10-minute video on Astroturfing
VERY informative article showing how to deal with these trolls and there methods, you rock!
Thanks Julie – I think it’s important to understand who is exactly pulling the strings in the background.
i don’t agree with food babe because she says some things that are not true, like when she says gmo plants are coupled with the use of synthetic pesticides. this is not especially true. some gmo varieties are genetically modified to repel insects, or grow stronger roots, or drought resistant roots. whereas i might graft plants together to make a strong hybrid, they might modify a variety to grow a strong plant without grafting as they have access to the dna of both plants. i am undecided about how gmos will impact our future, but our environment is changing rapidly and humanity is using science to try to keep up (cali drought, brown stink bugs, etc). this is one of the ways we are trying. it might fail us or it might help us. but misinformation is always bad. i’m not a troll, i’m a gardener 🙂 check out my horticulture work on instagram @aropiski if you think i’m not real!
Grafting is not the same thing as genetic modification in any sense. DNA manipulation is anything but natural. Look up BT corn as an example. See how it works and then weigh for yourself how that product may effect the health of animals and humans that consume it. It is a huge unknown; unlike the unmodified natural product that we know is healthy. I raise an organic garden, because I know some of the things done in the name of science are unsustainable and dangerous. I am worth putting only the best in my and my families’ bodies and I believe you are too.
NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY it goes back to that old commercial from the 70’s
“its not nice to fool mother nature”
it’s as plain & simple as that, your crap may have past some tests (doubtful) but in the end shortcuts always bite u in the ass.
I know better, I don’t need a degree to KNOW I’m right.
Ahh!! The first paid troll to speak up. No matter what you guys come up with, I know better. Food Babe and her army are fighting for your rights as well as ours. How much money did they pay you to write that foolishness. Let me tell you, IT WILL NOT WORK!!! Yes, I am shouting.
You don’t have to agree with the Food Babe! Either you do the research yourself and acknowledge the truth about GMO’s, or you go around making uninformed, incorrect comments. In the end, the truth will be exposed and those making a profit by poisoning, lying and making false accusations about the mess they are making of this earth will be shown for what they truly are. Personally, I don’t eat GMO, I use organic whenever possible and have been waging an almost 4 year battle with breast cancer by changing the foods I eat. Thus far, it is working. In the end, we all make our own decisions in this matter. Just be sure it is an INFORMED decision! Research, research, research!
99% percent of GMOs we are exposed to are GM’d to produce a toxin that causes bug’s stomach to explode or survive under unsurvivable levels of toxic, carcinogenic pesticide.
Please stop lying or cite your sources.
See just like the article says another troll
Wow. This is really scaring the corporations for them to engage in this trolling. I admire you so much, and like Erin Brockovich, you’ve been through so much because you’re threatening them with the truth! Please don’t stop, Vani, and teach the next generation!
Thank you for all you do Vani! This article is such an eye opener. I’ve been following you for a while now and am so excited to see all of your hard work paying off! Congratulations – I wish I had your courage.
Thank you for this article and for your much appreciated work on these issues. Times are changing and people are becoming awakened to the injustices forced upon them. Keep doing what you are doing!
I am SO glad that this information about these sneaky companies has come out.
This quote SO applies to this:
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” Edmund Burke
And we add ‘Good Women’ to that quote.
FoodBabe is an idiot who couldn’t pass 8th grade science class
Good one. U so smart.
Very scientific argument there, Jane, haha.
Thank you for making my point! This is the exact thing a troll would do – stalk an activist they hate and make rude comments.
Food Babe, I want you to know that I am behind you 100% in what you are doing and saying. I may also dare to say, that the entire Food Babe army in behind you also. We have your back! I will not be easily confused by what Monsanto, et al, are doing to confuse us so as to change our minds. Only a fool does not believe this because they care more for the money they are receiving than for the benefits of eating real food. Keep on doing what you are doing. I will not abandon you, I trust you!!!!!!!!!!!
I can taste the difference of what real food tastes like than the GARBAGE the Food Industry is selling as food to eat. Keep it up!!!
Vani, You have so many people who love you! And even the big corp. that you have led the way to choose change may not love you, but you darn well better believe that respect you.
It’s really so cool to see the astroturfing in action! Your article is really so very top notch, there is no refuting it.
I mean, like clockwork! the “farmers” and all come crawling! I really think they should all be out laying down some pre- emergent and some 2-4D !!!
Which the American Academy of Pediatrics have called for independent testing on the combination of Round Up and Agent Orange being used on our food crops, textile crops, etc. They’re red flagging the new rise in ADHD and neurolical symptoms associated thereby.
Well, fight we must!!!
God Bless You!!!
I feel sad for you Jane … very sad.
Jane you really need to wake up!!
If it wasn’t for Food Babe and others like her, our family would still be eating crappy food and wondering why we’re sick all the time!!
How healthy are you?? Your family??
Crap Food = Major Health Problems.
Sympathy is all you need now, Jane.
Jane, I wish you and all the other Trolls health and prosperity but you will pay dearly in the end for your evil ways !!!
I’m guesing Jane Doe. Trolls often use anonymous names. John Doe must be preparing his statement.
Jane, is that the best comment you can come up with. Name calling because you have not facts or science to back you up…give it up.
Jane, Jane, Jane …. if we hit a nerve, just say so and we will prepare a “safe space” for you just like the college weenies need. And by the way, in regard to your 8th grade comment …. you got any facts? We all like facts here …. not personal conjecture – ok cupcake?
Educated people, while questioning someone’s education in writing, know that food and babe are two separate words. You didn’t punctuate the end of your sentence and that would have been taught in first grade.
Another incredibly insightful article — thank you.
The del Monte Twitter feed was an eye opener — not unlike the barrage of “reviews” on Amazon when your book was released (even though none of the negative reviewers had purchased the book). Dig a little and you realize the trolls on the Twitter feed are the same 10 or 20 people posting over and over, with the same insults and childish memes, bullying, lies, and lack of substantive input. One of the vocal anti-Food Babe tweeters, Amber Pankonin RD, works in the Midwest as a writer and consultant to the farming industry. She, like so many others, is not the credible/unbiased source you might think given that she’s an RD. Be sure you understand the motivations of pro-GMO voices before you give them and ounce of attention.
Foodbabe! Thank you so much for doing this amazing work! You’re only on their radar because you’re creating change for our food, for the better! Please keep doing this great work!
Whenever some fb troll tries to say some stupid stuff about how GMO’s are science based blah blah blah, I don’t respond because I think I’ll change their mind, I respond because I want to make sure the people reading his bs see it’s bs!
Dangerous people like Kavin Senapathy seriously worry me because she’s all vaccine everyone young and old no matter whats in it and GMO everything! I’m glad you’re there to counter profit monsters who control our food!
Having been personally trolled by Kevin Folta before he was outed by the NYT, I loved the fact that others on that particular site jumped in and set me straight about what was happening. Thank you Vani for all you’re doing to weed out these criminals.
I wrote about him specifically here for anyone wishing to get caught up on how far one is willing to go to destroy the messengers of change. https://foodbabe.com/2015/09/08/proof-monsanto-pays-public-scientists-discredit-movement-submitting-foia-request/
Thank you for doing what you do, despite all the crap they put you through!
Your supporters are REAL!
Thank you so much for all your great work. We will be a healthier society with all the changes you’ve fought for. I’m glad the food companies are finally starting to open their eyes to what their customers want.
I love seeing each report of yet another company who joins the health movement!
Baby steps at first but now you’re campaign is in an all out sprint
This is excellent! You know they know deep down what they are doing is wrong. Saddos.
Will continue to eat, grow or raise as much of my own food as possible keep fighting the good fight
Oh so SCIENCE spreads misinformation? And when it’s pointed out that the science doesn’t support your claims, that makes scientists and science educated people trolls? It’s only a matter of time before your lies catch up to you and people know the truth. You earn money for all the propaganda you write. You have incentive as an organic industry shill and a shopkeeper full of snake oil to sell. Scientists debunk your lies for free, because we don’t enjoy seeing a charlatan taking advantage of the uneducated.
This is another perfect example of what a troll would say – they love using the word “science” over and over again to sound smart but really don’t debate the facts about the risks of chemicals in our food supply.
No no no.
Just another example of my recently deleted comment in which I point out that pointing out some of your errors is not trolling.
By way of an example, you exhort your “army” to not eat anything that cannot be pronounced by a child (I believe you set the age at 5).
My son cannot read or pronounce dyhydroen monoxide, but I make sure he gets lots of it.
In another instance, you bemoaned the nitrogen in aircraft cabins. The atmosphere is 78% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, 1% argon, and 1% trace elements.
Correcting your bad advice is not trolling, it’s educating.
It is funny how you mention ingredients in food and that troll starts taking about the atmosphere. What world do these people come from.. Oh wait he was probably paid to say that. ;). keep up the good work! I know these people exsist and its a shame our world works this way.
While I support your efforts, you lose credibility when you resort to name calling (trolls) when a group or individual is not in agreement with your findings and beliefs. You can always find scientific evidence to support both viewpoints-whether its the environment, gender or religious preferences, or food quality. As a society we all need to learn to be more tolerant of each other an stop attacking individuals or groups who have opposing viewpoints.
Again, I am totally onboard with your mission, but over the years I been disappointed with you at times at your relentless censure of companies who practice business outside of your belief system. These companies employ hard working Americans and, sometimes, I wonder if jobs have been lost due to your efforts. Changing labels, ingredients, or at worst, dropping an entire popular product line is expensive and impacts the companies bottom line as well as customers who enjoyed the product. People seem to think all companies have deep pockets..well, many don’t. I am definitely NOT in favor of running people out of business or ruining their reputations(exposing them) if they don’t agree with my values.
Finally, you are doing a GREAT job of educating people about the benefits of whole, organic foods and eating. However, not everyone is going to be onboard and many still want to enjoy food we wouldn’t touch. I believe we should plant the seed, and move on……you, Food Babe will still have your star power, your influence and your following, and it will grow!
Moral….let’s be vocal and educate but remain tolerant.
I won’t use science as an argument against you as I am not a scientist. I am a farmer and here are a few examples that I find troubling to say the least. You say:
Potato farmers grow an organic crop of potatoes for themselves while growing potatoes treated with pesticides to sell to everyone else. This is false.
Cottonseed oil is trash oil because it isn’t regulated as a food. This is false.
Non-organic wheat is contaminated with glyphosate. This is almost entirely false as less than 5% of the wheat grown in this country is ever treated with glyphosate.
I have been on and off your site (and banned several times) for a couple of years now and tried to respectfully point out that your information is not correct but to no avail. You keep saying things about conventional farms that are absolutely false. And I will keep pointing out to whoever will listen that you have no credibility when it comes to what goes on on this country’s farms. You do more harm than good with many of the things you say. If that’s being a troll then I’m really proud to be one.
Wait, because I genuinely don’t understand. How am I supposed to debate what you say then? Because it looks to me like anyone here who offered input contrary to what you say got a response that said “that’s what a troll would say”.
Okay, so what would a non-troll who wanted to – in your own words – “debate the facts about the risks of chemicals in our food supply” say? I’m asking for real. Because I’m not sure how what the folks here who have been called trolls ISN’T “debating the facts about the risks of chemicals in our food supply”. Debate, by definition, involves evidence presented from two sides. But I haven’t seen anyone present evidence from the “other” side and not get dismissed as a troll or shill spouting something they were paid by industry to say.
I have particular issue with your idea that “science” isn’t a good term to be used or that it’s something “trolls” throw around to sound smart. Again, totally genuine question – what else should be used to debate?
Want to talk “Science”? Every animal study done on GMO foods proves the GMO “food” damages the gut, organs, reproductive ability, shortens life spans, etc. There has been NO study on the effects on humans…NONE. That is “Science”, idiot TROLL. 🙂
Your use of the word “proves” is an automatic disqualifier. No scientist would ever use that word. We never talk about proving something because it’s virtually impossible. Which is why your request for studies “proving” that GMOs are safe for humans cannot be met. We can fail to disprove something. And at the moment, there is very little evidence that GMOs are *not* as safe (your tumors in animals studies have been formally retracted for poor methodology) as conventional foods. It might sound like a semantic issue but it’s a huge one in terms of how science is properly done.
This sort of thing is exactly what is happening in the area of climate change and climate change denier trolls. Only in an even more organized fashion –driven by the fossil fuel industry and its paid henchmen. Likewise with the destruction wrought by fracking ….and on and on, in so many areas of our life. Too many industires and corporations think only of their bottom line, instead of the destructive and unhealthy effects they may be having on people and the envornment.
But this is changing, due to the efforts of men and women like Food Babe.
I whole heartedly disagree with the comment left by the Monsanto worker. Who needs to eat food that has been tested? That sounds unnatural. My only concern with all the organic and grass fed products coming out is this, are they truly that? It seems we have been eating GMOs for so long how can there suddenly be all this organic food available? Do they use vegetables that were once sprayed with monsanto pesticides and then stop and label it as organic, and if so how long would it take for the old chemicals to leave the soil and food? Maybe this is not a legitimate concern, not sure but I appreciate everything Food Babe has done to better our food. 🙂
Sarah, I’ve also had these questions….especially about “grass fed” products. In talking to a local beef producer who raises 100% grass fed beef, he said that the majority of these claims in the marketplace are bogus. He stated the following: (1) beef can be labeled “antibiotic free” because antibiotics leave the system in @30 days(just like people), so before they go to processing, the farmer can discontinue that use(so when they’re tested, they come up negative…hmmm) & (2) you can see labels “on grass”…that doesn’t mean the cow “eats” grass (crazy right?). (3) the term “100% grass fed, does not necessarily mean grass “finished”. Frankly, because i’m skeptical, i only trust buying from our local farmers co-op. What do you think?
I agree about truly organic foods being healthier for you, however my issue with that is that everyone is buying all these organic foods because they actually think they are pesticide free etc. I spoke to an ag engineer that told me it was all just a big lie. If you go to walmart and buy organic foods there those organic foods have pestcides, its just that they use pesticides that have not been tested yet. The only way around this and still getting descent produce is hydrophonic. If its not hydrophonic than its probably been exposed to chemicals. Im not sure about the loophole but the ag engineer said something about some newer chemicals that can be applied and as long as they havn’t been tested they can be considered organic produce still.
Honey all this proves is that you are MAKING A DIFFERENCE. I get that it is hard to read stuff like they throw at you, but you just need to remember that is it because you are making a difference and look how many people you are helping.
Keep up the good work.
Keep up the good fight and rely on your army, new recruits welcome.
The truth always stands and surfaces no matter what obstacles real or imagined are placed in the way of it. Eat healthy and you will feel better.
Trolls are easy to defeat when you are armed with the facts… On this issue, most of the time I don’t even have to point out any research or anything… I just simply ask if GMO’s are safe, then why don’t the companies like GM put a label on the boxes saying so…
“Proud to be made with safe GMO ingredients”
Why don’t they??? That would end all the debate, I mean, because they are the all-mighty right about everything people, aren’t they???
The simple fact is that EVERYBODY on both sides knows the only accurate symbol on GMO “food” would be a skull and cross bones… The Big Ag insiders and lobbyists just hope they can continue targeting the dumbed down public as long as possible with misinformation and disinformation…
They are losing bad, and it’s blatantly obvious… It isn’t even close, because of this site and others, people in the dark are waking up…
Campbell’s already includes a statement that says something along the lines of “contains GMO ingredients.”
I didn’t back down to bullying as a child (most of whom are now fat, ill, in jail or dead ) and I won’t start now. Bravo Food Babe❣
They (Monsanto and these other large chemical companies) are so afraid of you Food Babe, you stand up for us, we want clean food, not poisoned food. Keep up the good work. Why is wanting clean healthy food so dangerous, because they can make more money on their poisoned food.
Their propaganda and misinformation tactics will only hurt them, if really wanted to help save the company and their brands, they would invest money in better products instead. I will thoroughly enjoy seeing their market share tumble and their stock tank
A vast number of people are coming to the realization that government officials, politicans, the FDA, big corporations, big Pharma, large companies, funded studies, etc can no longer be trusted to have the health, safety and well-being of the people who make up the “general public” in mind. Why? They’ve been caught in outright lies too many times to have a shred of credibility left to their names.
Hats Off to you Food Babe! May God give you immense strength and courage and direction to you to continue what you are doing for the man kind! You are a hero !
Keep going, Food Babe! As Harriet Tubman said, “When you hear the dogs, keep going!”
XO-
Heidi- GirltoMom.com
Thank you for all you do, Vani. You are awesome!
♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
The good food detractors (trolls) are probably well-aware of the dangers of junk food and do not eat it, nor do they feed it to their children. If they truly had anything of factual interest to say they could certainly do so in a non-confrontational manner, non-name calling manner and let the consumer make educated decisions . . . as FOOD BABE DOES.
Very well said!
Thank you for your faithful dedication and commitment to educate the public on safe food. It is truly shameful that these big corporations are only after profits to line there pockets at the expense of individuals’ health and quality of life, affecting whole of society. Money has no meaning beyond this life, and there is eternity out there. Where will they get to spend eternity with such evil in their hearts in this life? Deep, I know. I find the selfish and shocking motivations and behaviours of these types of organisations disturbing to say the least. We live in a beautiful, but fallen world and this is one example of it. Thank you for being part of history for the good of future generations. God bless you,
You are awesome and we are making positive changes, which is making greedy corporations nervous. The truth will prevail, so lets keep exposing these internet trolls and the companies who pay them!
Thanks for the heads up and information. Let’s fight on…Thanks for all what you do.
In Food Babe I trust.
Dear Food Babe, I don’t usually leave comments but do enjoy reading them. However I could not resist in telling you how Amazing you are. I first saw you years ago on InfoWars. I have been delighted to see what a success and force you have become helping to educate consumers on food safety. I have tried to actively avoid GMO and Fluoride in water for over a decade. I have tried to share my views with countless people and felt frustrated at their indifference. Seeing what you have accomplished and on so grand a scale helps those of us who have all but given up trying to share information with our fellow man, a new lease on our efforts, and that we should continue with the attitude we will not give up until safe food is readily available. For the last decade I have all but completely stopped eating out or shopping at grocery stores as nearly all their product offerings are tainted with either GMO or Flouride. It has been a burden to avoid and I have been amazed that those responsible for putting poisons in our food and water have not been prosecuted, along with those who have through nothing short of criminal negligence, contaminated our biosphere by releasing something as potentially dangerous as GMO, knowing that any harmful environmental effects at that point, will most likely be irreversible.
I am so happy to see how the Food Babe ARMY has grown…..I have told many people about your site, and I have seen the positive influence over the years you and all of us continue to have on these ” too big to fail companies.” They are worried and realize they are not ” too big.” We, the uneducated public used to be
their puppets ….but now look who’s pulling the strings! These company’s will need to learn to produce what CONSUMERS DEMAND vs what PROFIT DEMANDS. NO company is too big to fail….all eyes on FOOD BABE and her ARMY!
Thanks for all you do Food Babe & army! Let’s keep the momentum going!
As a computer programmer, I have been following “astroturfing” for some time. I believe that some of these armies of disinformation hacks are not people but computers programmed to “read” the post, then write a response. They used to do it badly but are getting better. Analysis? For them, too little, too late. March on!
“You have enemies? Good, then you have stood up for something, sometime in your life” – Winston Churchill
plain & simple.
don’t mess with mother nature u will not win.
Thank you Vani for all your good work! Your courage is astounding! I’m on your bandwagon and support all that you do.
Trolls in mythology are evil, selfish icky things that hide under bridges ready to take down innocent people. The ones who troll you do it with lies and intimidation. Brava dear Food Babe!!
The Corporations are trying to protect their golden goose, that is making people sick with poison “food” and then sell them the quote treatment which is Big Pharma poison drugs which just make you sicker in the long run. It is quite simple folks, the further you go from nature or God, the sicker you will become. That also makes them rich beyond imagination. The truth will set your free! You go Vani!!!!!!
As for me, I am looking for large or small companies to keep improving their products, and I will be happy to buy food products from any company that makes the necessary changes. For example, as some companies have begun to remove artificial food coloring in from their cereal (that was a big issue for me), I started buying those products again. However, there is obviously more they can and should do to improve their products. I am watching to see what companies care the most about the consumer (as evidenced by removing unnecessary potentially harmful ingredients).
I am not a troll, just curious if you are even willing to follow your own advice as outlined above.
“2.Realize that you can’t change their mind no matter what you say. They are not part of our movement, they are on the wrong side of history, but we have a different mission. It’s okay to have different missions.”
I am not sure any real change can happen if we can’t get both sides working on the same problem because I don’t think anyone wants to change their mind. How do we get together and solve real problems like.
1. How do we feed the 9 billion people that will need to be fed by 2050? Our current pace of advancement in food production will not be enough?
2. How do we make good, wholesome, nutritious packaged foods that will remain cost effective to everyone? Americans spend the lowest % of their income on food relative to the rest of the world (less than 10%). Can we afford and are we willing to pay more?
3. How do food manufacturers regain the trust of the consumers?
To be totally transparent, I work in the food industry as an ingredient distributor (middle man). We are working every day with food manufacturers to change their products. I am not convinced that our alternatives are any better. For example, Non GMO Sugar. Customers are switching to cane sugar which is naturally GMO free. However, this will require us to import more sugar from other countries, increasing the carbon footprint. We have a wonderful self sufficient supply of sugar grown right here in the US that once it is processed does not contain any protein that would contain the GM DNA. Besides, I think one of goals of the movement is to consume less sugar, therefore, GM or NON GM, it doesn’t make a difference. I am open to a good dialogue, but do get a little frustrated when I spend my day with really good people, who work hard to create good products for consumers. They are not monsters, just have different opinions. How do we get off message boards and back to more direct communication.
Jim M, I have some “food for thought” about your questions.
Question 1: First, the problem of feeding the world is misunderstood. There is plenty of food in the world for everyone. The amount of food wasted is astounding. What we have a is a distribution problem, not a quantity problem. It doesn’t matter how much food we produce; if we do not change the current social systems, the food is still not going to reach the hungry. People are starving because they cannot AFFORD food, or because of social injustices that keep food from people, not because there is not enough. Second, if the answer to feeding the world is GMOs, it is a moot point. GM foods are killing people left and right, so if that is the answer, there will not even be 9 billion people on the planet in 2050 if most people are eating GM food. The damage GMOs cause to the reproductive system has been studied scientifically and found to be significant.
Question 2: There are already companies making wholesome, nutritious packaged food. GM food is cheaper because of government subsidies. Organic farmers do not get these subsidies. If the subsidies for GM corn and sugar were spread out among all types of farmers, the prices would level out much more. It is true that Americans spend a smaller percentage of their income on food, and it is partially due to these subsidies. It is a sad circumstance, actually, because when food is cheap, people do not value it as they should. In countries where people spend more of their income on food, they also place more value on good food, good table manners, cooking, and shared meals. We either pay the farmer now or the doctor later. I choose to pay the farmer.
Question 3: Manufacturers can regain the trust of consumers by engaging in the practices of those companies that people trust now, such as Late July, Amy’s, and others. Transparency, truthful and relevant marketing (what does a talking toucan have to do with breakfast cereal?), and real food ingredients are a good start.
As for your comments about negative effects of switching to non-GMO ingredients: You are spinning the question by assuming there is only one solution; that of importing non-GMO sugar. If manufacturers stop buying GMO sugar, US farmers will grow something else; something manufacturers and consumers want. We don’t have to import it if farmers here grow it. They don’t even need to grow sugar if the demand for it drops. I agree that sometimes manufacturers are in a hurry to drop an ingredient that is getting a bad rap and replace it with something else that is not good for us, either. During the fat-free craze, companies were replacing fats with huge amounts of sugar. There is shared responsibility here; consumers need to take responsibility for knowing what they are buying and producers need to be honest and transparent about what they are selling. When we vote with our dollars, manufacturers will respond, but there must be transparency and truth in labeling of all kinds.
Nutrimom
Thanks for the well thought out reply. I would love to continue this conversation as you seem to have a lot of information and passion. I am trying to seek out the real facts in this matter and not emotional rhetoric and your points seem to be based on fact. Would you mind citing your sources for me so that I can do my own research. I will admit that I don’t know that I necessarily agree with every point you make, however, I am happy to continue the conversation and I think it always needs to stay to common sense and facts. Any information you could provide me as to where you get your information that would be awesome. Let’s keep the conversation going.
I am a family farmer and not paid by anyone to point out that your confusing opposition to modern agricultural does not appear to be based on fact or consider the challenges in feeding a growing world population with too much hunger and malnutrition. With the use of new technology to enhance seed varieties I am able to use less crop inputs and farm more sustainablely. I believe you are receiving push back and opposition because most of your statements are misleading and create unnecessary fear. I hope your readers will seek out farmers in their areas and ask questions about food production and they will see we are focused on raising safe and reliable food.
I believe you Vani and appreciate all your hard work and information you continually post. My eating habits have dramatically changed and I feel so much better. There will always be the haters. Keep up the great work you are an inspiration!
Food should not be a industry.
Then what should it be? Free?
I was fortunate to be raised by a mom who cooked our meals fresh each day and when I became a mom in the 70’s and 80’s, I did the same. If we commit to cooking fresh, unpackaged foods, that are hopefully organic, we eliminate the need for any science or biochemicals. That is the only safe food way. Vani is our present day Adelle Davis who in the 6o’s and 70’s was also criticized for her advocacy for whole nutrition. You’re doing a great service helping the public become aware that there is a better way to buy, prepare and eat their food other than the canned and packaged junk that lines the grocery store shelves. Thanks so much! I love all your recipes!
Thank you food babe for everything you do!!!
I’ve been associated with nutrition for over 55 years…… I constantly monitoring the increased decline in the health in the population especially those who have been raised in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s who are more sickly than my grandparents or parents at the same age.
Never give in to the lies and deceptions of the food company “hacks”. They are bought off and brain soaked with chemicals. In their declining years they will finally see the errors of their ways by visiting a doctor a day and supporting the parmes .
Great article! Support you and your cause 1000%. It is insane how they have so many hired trolls. A few months back, I simply asked a question about using almond milk as a non-dairy option on Starbucks’ Facebook page and I was verbally assaulted and then threatened by Starbucks moderator. When I called them out for their abusive response..within about 20 mins the threatening posts from the moderator were removed then they gave me a canned nonsense answer. All this over almond milk?! Side note-If you really want to have fun…post a comment or question on Monsanto’s FB page…and just watch the trolls…it’s actually insulting that they can’t even update their scripts…it’s beyond vacuous. Keep it going FoodBabe and we will keep fighting with you!
To Jane
Can’t understand why you would side with chemical advocating companies over the ultimate goal of eating pure and clean food. Would you ever cook a meal at home and then lace it with 3 or more chemicals just before eating it or serving it to your loved ones? And if your answer is that you would, WHY?
Where dio I begin? I have been fat, sick and miserable most of my life with the exception of 6+ years living in Germany in the 60s/70s where I consistently lost weight despite eating all the wonderful food and drinking beer. At that time there was practically no fast or junk food available in Germany and virtually all the people I came in contact with were of a normal weight. We had fresh fruits and vegetables readily available and we cooked our own meals. I lost 40 pounds without trying, but unfortunately, gained it all back after I returned to the US and resumed eating the typical American diet. A naturopathic Doctor started me on a quest for healthier eating after she cured me of my lifelong daily headaches/migraines by changing my diet. What a surprise! No drugs! Who knew that getting and maintaining a healthy body could be achieved through diet? None of the allopathic Doctors I had seen had ever recommended diet over drugs! I am so thankful that my friend recommended The Food Babe to me. I am now (at age 67) 25 pounds under my high school weight and feeling healthier than ever, playing tennis, exercising, traveling, etc. etc. All pain free! By the way, when I go back to Germany now – 40+ years later, I see lots of obese people (especially young people) “enjoying” the same American junk that I used to eat. Love you Food Babe! Keep fighting for our health and the health of our planet.