El Tiempo Interview Translated Spanish to English:
Talking with Food Babe, the terror of food manufactures
Vani Hari’s blog, followed by millions of people, has created a buzz in the food industry.
Ten years ago, while sitting in a hospital bed, Vani Hari made a decision that changed her life and the lives of many more.
While embarked on a fast paced career to rapidly climb the steps of the American dream she had neglected her body to the point of collapse. Tired, overweight and taking 8 different medications for her multiple ailments she promised to turn her health into her number one priority.
The first thing she did was abandon her junk food diet. But more than that, she decided to investigate the ingredients in those foods and their effects on the consumers.
Terrified by her findings, she decided to share them on a blog that she named Food Babe which started in 2011.
In three years the site has become a global movement with more than 4 million readers and has forced members of the powerful food and beverage industry like Kraft, Subway and Starbucks to remove chemical additives and other health damaging ingredients from their products.
In a few words, what is Food Babe?
FoodBabe.com is the place you go to investigate what’s in your food. We fight for transparency, better ingredients and teach people how to eat real, organic, non-GMO whole foods.
Before dedicating yourself entirely to FoodBabe, you had a successful career. What caused you to make this change of careers?
As soon as I realized companies were responding to my writings, I knew I had to quit my corporate job. The passion for sharing what I learned took over my life and I knew I could make an even bigger impact on the food industry if I devoted my full-time energy.
Where was your passion for eating and living a healthy life born? Was it something you were taught growing up?
I was not health conscious growing up. I began my food journey, like most people, by following the standard American diet. Both of my parents are from India and part of integrating my brother and I into American culture was feeding us fast food. I grew up eating what everyone else around me was eating. Later in life as a successful management
That is when I decided to change. I made a personal promise that from that point on, I was going to make myself my number one priority. FoodBabe.com was born from years of teaching myself how to live a healthy lifestyle and from investigating the questionable chemicals put into our food system. As I learned more about the habits needed for a healthy lifestyle and what dangerous ingredients to avoid, my friends and family begged me to start a blog in order to share everything I had uncovered.
One thing is being health conscious and wanting to share information and another is becoming a global movement with hundreds of thousands of followers. How did that happen?
One thing I have learned from running FoodBabe.com is that people are hungry for this information. Over the past three years, FoodBabe.com has grown to have a readership of over 4 million inspired individuals who are seeking to lead heather lives and rid our food system of toxic ingredients. We have been able to grow because this is information people want to know and share with others.
But what has been the key to your success?
The Food Babe Army is behind all the success we have had. Getting theses companies to change their ingredients is only possible because of all the people who are willing to call the headquarters, email these companies, share this information with those around them and vote with their dollars. The Food Babe movement is about taking back control of our food.
Why did you choose Kraft first as your initial major target?
I picked Kraft because they are an industry leader. Kraft products are a staple in so many homes across the world. Kraft was also a prime example of a company who was reformulating their products overseas and creating safer ingredient options while continuing to feed Americans dangerous lesser quality products. It was clear that Kraft had the ability to make a better products because they were already doing it for Europe. This hypocrisy is a very immoral business practice that needs to cease.
Why do you think companies do this?
A financial gain means more for a lot of these companies than the health of their customers and the integrity of their products. Chemical additives are cheaper than their real food alternatives. When companies fill their products with processed chemicals it also extends the shelf life allowing them to lessen the risk of lost investment from products going bad on store shelves.
In the countries where regulations on food additives are higher, major corporations are forced to change their formulas in order to do business within those countries. These corporations are not going to change on their own.
What other companies have changed their ways because of your investigation and online pressure?
In the case of Kraft we were able to get artificial dyes removed from their mac and cheese products aimed at children and they have now also removed the dyes from their Deluxe products. Subway, the largest fast food company in the world decided to remove a controversial ingredient (used in bread and also in the rubber of shoe soles) after receiving 50,000 signatures in 24 hours on our petition to the chain. After receiving tremendous attention on my posts about Chick-Fil-A, I was invited by the company’s leadership to meet at its headquarters to consult on specific improvements to ingredients used by the national chain, which they later implemented. Anheuser-Busch and Miller Coors agreed to post their ingredients online for the first time in history, a mere 24 hours after we launched a campaign asking them to disclose their ingredients. As a result of continued pressure through several blog posts, Starbucks agreed to finally post their ingredients online and remove caramel coloring level IV from their drinks.
Other major food companies that have responded to my writings include Panera Bread, Pop Chips, Campbell’s Soup, Whole Foods, Lean Cuisine, McDonalds, General Mills, Taco Bell, Coca-Cola, Chipotle, Yoforia, and Moe’s South West Grill.
There are many companies out there in the food industry. How do you choose who to go after?
It’s always deeply personal for me. If I have a friend or family member that’s eaten a certain product or at a restaurant – It inspires me to investigate.
Who else in on the “hit list”?
As we grow so does our ability to enact change quickly. There are many more companies we will focus on in the suture. As Americans, we have grown accustomed to outsourcing the majority of our meals. Unfortunately, for most individuals, this means they are eating more chemicals than they would ever be able to acquire in their own kitchen. The food Industry fills the majority of processed foods with potentially harmful chemicals that are not only worthless in providing nutritional value but additionally destroy your health, cause they are designed to make you to eat more than you should. As a food activist, I am working to teach people how to eat real food and to help improve the food that is offered outside the home.
How bad are these food additives really? We been living with them forever and no one seemed to care much.
We actually have not been living with chemicals in our food forever. Generations ago people were eating foods directly from the farm and consuming a diet rich in whole foods. The use of processed chemical filled foods as a main source of nutrition is a relatively new phenomenon. The cumulative effect of all these chemicals on our bodies has not been studied. As disease rates continue to rise and more and more people are living life tired and sick their needs to be a major reassessment of whose hands we are putting our health in. It is our responsibility to make sure we are healthy, not the food companies that profit from our purchases.
You argue that many of this companies like Kraft target kids with their junk food. But there are many healthy options out there. Isn’t it the responsibility of the parents to decide what they feed their children?
Yes, it is the responsibility of the parent to make informed decisions for their children but deceptive advertising from corporations has misinformed many parents. The marketing material from the food industry has been the main source of education on food for way too long.
You have spent a great deal of effort trying to make companies open up about their food contents and put them on labels. Do you think people actually read those?
Yes. The more people learn about what chemicals are in our food, the more people want to know what’s in their food. It is so important to look at the ingredients you are putting into your body. You are the chemicals you eat. I read the labels on everything I consume. The best way to eat healthy is to eat organic without additives. I understand it can be pricey to buy organic whole foods. Trust me though, it will be worth it in the long run. Eating organic, fresh produce as often as possible will have you feeling energetic, vibrant and healthy.
Your success has come with critics. Some argue that your findings are not scientific and in some cases misleading? Is there truth on those claims or is this the food giants reacting toward your pressure?
The people who attack me want the status quo to stay the same and they attempt to discredit me because they want to keep the information and research I uncover hidden from the public.
Some also question that you are now taking money from the same people your criticize, like Chick-fil-A?
When I was invited to Chick-fil-A headquarters I was working as a consultant by trade – consulting with major companies across the nation was my job. In various blog posts and live on CNN I made it clear I was hired by the company. As a result of my writings, influence and consumer demand, Chick-fil-A decided to drop several controversial ingredients like TBHQ, azodicarbonamide, high fructose corn syrup and they are committing to source chicken not raised with antibiotics within 5 years. I have never let my consulting experience get in the way of my values – even today I harshly criticize Chick-fil-A for not serving any organic menu items and for continuing to use MSG as a main ingredient in their sandwiches.
How further do you want to take this?
The day I am no longer doing this is the day when people all over the world are eating real food and companies are taking a stand for the health of those they are feeding. Myself and the Food Babe Army have a lot of work in front of us. I expect big things to come in the future. In February of 2015, my book “The Food Babe Way” will teach anyone across the globe to live organically in this over-processed world in just 21 days.
Thanks for reading this amazing coverage. Please take a moment and share these insights with your friends and family. We need to teach everyone about this very important work we are doing and have them join the Food Babe Army here.
Xo,
Vani
Do you have an outlet in Israel? Do you have a English to Hebrew translator? If not I know a good one
I love that your message is spreading around the globe! This is the first I’ve heard of your book – will you be including some of your recipes in there? We love your recipes!
Vani,
So happy to see the Latino community being informed of your investigations. I speak English and Spanish fluently so if you ever decide to podcast your blog, I would love to help you on this endeavor or any other voiceover help you might need.
Besos y salidos!
I am so glad that the awareness is spreading all over the world. The more people become informed about the ingredients in our food, the more pressure to companies all over the world to stop lying and start doing the right thing. Thanks Vani
I’m from Colombia and live in Charlotte, NC. I was so happy to see you on the cover of El Tiempo and to know that your message is reaching other countries! Keep up the good work. Thank you Foodbabe!
Vani and team – I’ve been an avid follower for some time. HUGE congratulations on this piece and being recognized for the amazing work you are doing. Keep it up! We’re here to support you.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
~ Travis
Kudos to you & your staff for the informative article , read your emails always….
74 years young-never to late to learn what/how to eat better.
Interesting what you say Vani, but one of the lingering and burning questions is what do you advise someone who generally eats healthy and not processed food, but inevitably has to face certain establishments like Mellow Mushroom of just getting together with pizza love still there with being vegan or a mexican restaurant in a new town when taste of burritos and beans still there even as a vegan?
I myself and my healthy elderly fellow vegan doctor friends eat out at these establishments once in a while rather than always and are fine.
Have you ever considered advising what to do when we inevitably take the processed food once in a blue moon when we don’t want to cook one day and when living in a small town? Mainly wonder what you advise on how to be proactive and pragmatic rather than becoming too rigid and always trying to avoid as becoming unrealistic?
Thanks and trust you understand.
Thats your own choice. I personally do not do that because these things, example: GMOs and synthetics are cumulative. Preservatives are deadly for me, I have MCS and cannot take those chances, my liver and kidneys, never mind my gut, will one day just quit on me. I know we all have to die of something, but I will not die from GMOs and purposely poisoned food.
Nice reply Liz…just a little poison will still kill us…the establishment has there plan, they want to reduce the population by poisoning the food air and water, while developing and using life extending technology for the elite establishment only..we need to hold there feet to the fire..damn them.
Hey Food Babe,
I am waiting to hear whether Subway is changing their bread recipe to the European ingredients. Could you please update.
I am also wondering why you have not put the spotlight on the GMO’s. They are probably the most dangerous ingredient of all. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for your share and I am so with you. Please know that I am totally against GMOs, synthetics, additives and such and even with my previous post feeling the same way.
Please know even as I and others feel the same way and try to avoid them wishing they were banned, realistically it is impossible to always avoid them and at times everybody cannot cook bc of being placed in a simple motel room for their jobs to earn money.
I just wish Vani took into consideration everyone’s different circumstances with empathy and understanding as someone publishing and one being a leader.
My main concern regarding the last post is what type of daily herbs or superfoods to always take to counteract the GMOs or synthetics/additives that inevitably enter the body. I hear of many famous naturopaths whose medicine seems more effective than conventional recommend turmeric, cumin and other herbs to kill cancer cells and other diseaseas. Seriously, I feel there should be a way for people to tackle such when they are in the know and have a good heart with pragmatic action.
I also do not ever wish to die of GMOs nor want anyone else. My ongoing concern is how citizens can take any effective things to counteract while being exposed inevitably to a fast food joint which is the only thing rather to starve? I pray GMOs, Synthetics and Additives will be banned outright in future over the world and wonder why they haven’t despite mass protests and petitioning? Also, it would be good to see anyone inevitably exposed taking things to counteract GMOs while eventually GMOs will be kicked out and be banned.
Lastly
I can relate to all you say, the thing that I worry about most is that GMOs change human DNA !! and that is something I cannot tolerate. Be well and ‘ Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food ‘
What Vani is trying to do is for those who have no access to cooked meals and must eat out like those in shelter hotels due to homelessness and others for work and just the health of everyone by calling out these food corporations on their deceptive advertising and low quality ingredients.
There are no throw away people, everyone deserves quality food.
Now if only Kraft, McDonalds etc thought so too.
Instead of killing their customers you would think they would want them alive and healthy to keep purchasing their products.
Thanks Vanessa! I am with Vani all the way and please know that along with others are against GMOs and trashy, unacceptable chemicals, additives. I can totally see how these big ruthless corps are sham and dont care for us.
With this being said and as I trust you are understanding as seeing how I stay in a super 8 with no stove and in rural town and having to shift to others unexpectedly that there are only big name restaurants in these towns like BK, McD, Taco Bell and no farmers market it seems. Even as I wish to always avoid such gmos and additives, i have noticed how few times coming back late unpredictably I end up stopping at Taco Bell to get my few vegan items despite with GMOs. I mean it is hard with such limited choices and wanting to eat variety. Also, as there is no stove and my mother in alabama i have no choice but to eat at indian restaurants in nearby big cities when there is a chance for real cooked indian food with conventional veg oil as inevitable.
The whole point is despite well intentioned people trying to avoid, in certain situations it just isnt possible as everyone needs to understand with empathy.
The big inquiry is how to take steps for the body once exposed to gmos inevitably. Vani herself has taken gmos before being an activist and is still well and I am surprised how some in the world have lived long despite having taken GMOs before (assuming they exercised well, ate well, etc).
Again, no for any gmos, additives and question remains herbs,,supplements and other steps to take to eliminate toxins from body when at times I have no choice but to take gmo food when it is the only food available. I try my best to avoid and see these situations comparable to not always being able to control what bites us or happens to us.
Swear to God how I and some other fellow Vegans see how much harder it is to go gmo free compared to being vegan. Would be good if great hearted Vani and others understood where I and others usually on road are coming from.
Thanks!
I was very glad to see that you were being published in Spanish I am a small business consultant and i was in the food business manufacturing corn & flour tortillas and I witnessed the food additives that statred to appear when I Left the business in 1991. Good job and keep up the good work. Frank
Can you ask Whole foods to drop carageenan from their 365 Organic, Soy Milk…I like it in my Peets, Coffee…
Bless U, Vani, for all the research You do, U are Awesome.
Blues Guitarist, Kenny Blue Ray
Congratulations Vani! This is fantastic!
Following you from de Dominican Republic! You have lots of Latinos reading your blog! !
Congratulations Vani!!!! You are the SUPERWOMAN of our planet’s food supply! Thank you for all the hard work and passion you put into keeping the public informed and stepping on the toes of the likes of Monsanto, big Pharma and the like. You are my hero.
Wow! How awesome! Keep up the good work & THANK YOU SO MUCH for all that you do!!! So glad you & this movement are getting global exposure, I can’t wait to see what will be happening next!!
Congratulations!!
Vari, reading the above comments leaves me little room to add more accolades, you are a Champion and serve all people. Thank you. Take care and live well.
removing one toxic ingredient is not enough; people will get the wrong idea that it’s now ok to eat Kraft/Krap mac & cheese and all the other corporate non-foods. Plastic chemical pesticided gmo food is not acceptable, period. Get back to us when all the food corps decide to sell only healthy organic food. Until then I will stay away from these companies and stick with my local organic produce and organic bakeries and products from Dr. Brommer and Bob’s Red Mill and Lundgren.
You are correct…I also will never eat foods produced by these corporations…fool me once !!
My saying goes like this : ‘ I would rather go hungry then kill my body and change my DNA ‘.
Many of your articles state you were overweight before this lifestyle. Do you have any before and after pictures?
Excelente que bueno que vamos a poder verlo en Español.
Thank you, Vani, for your passion and commitment to educating us, the consumers.
Your information is invaluable and priceless and you have shown that numbers speak volumes when we all reach out and sign a petition, make a call, and share the information we learn from you with others. This truly is an army that is proving to be an unstoppable force. Thank you for taking the helm and helping so many.
Hi Vani!!
I’m from Mexico and have become a foodbabe follower, congratulations on this big step, please keep up your great work!!
Vani, I was so happy to see you have a book coming out! Please send an email when we can preorder. Thank you. Also, Stouffer’s makes a cheddar potato bake and it says there’s no preservatives WHICH MIGHT FOOL PEOPLE… but what was upsetting to me was they have to add a coloring to the potatoes just to make it look good?? Why!!! Have you gone after them like you did Kraft? Thanks for everything. Great article!
Read the label and see how unhealthy Stouffer’s food is, with or without preservatives. Full of unhealthfulness, some worse than others. I want to be in the marching band when Vani takes on this outfit.
Hi Babe! Im here bc I read the article of El Tiempo, u rock!!!!
This Was the reason why i started following u! My mom lives in Colombia and she sent me the article. I Live in the US and i am always concern about the food and the products we consume so fea Months ago we started to go all the way natural and organic ur blog is helping a lot!
After reading all the comments posted, I’d like to say terrific but there always seems to be those few naysayers that can’t or won’t open themselves up to an opinion other than their own. I sometimes wonder if these aren’t the younger ones who have yet to see the results of a poor diet, corporate greed or lack of integrity by politicians who rubber stamp approvals on anything without full knowledge of what they are approving. Washington needs more enlightening information and NOT from the sponsoring corporations.
Vani, I am so very happy that you are on the track of food additives. I’ve been trying to learn about bad stuff and avoid buying it. Thank you for your work and I am so happy to know that someone has the clout to make things happen. I like to send emails, although I have not phoned up, to complain about the additives you have taught us is in food. We didn’t think about food that has extra unnecessary additions which is not needed, and makes us have cravings for this food. It is overwhelming to try to avoid things that are bad for people with thyroid issues. That means I have an extra filter I must follow, although I do not take any medication. I find most of the medical staff at any kind of clinic do not really want to give the tests that would help with thyroid treatment. I am a fan and keep up this wonderful help you give. Thank you so much.
Adelante! That’s the best way to keep the obesity under control. As stated by Paracelsus, “Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food”. Greetings and support from Pereira, Colombia
Vani, I joined your blog exactly because I read the article in that newspaper! I’m from Bogota Colombia and live in New Mexico. I find all your post so interesting and encouraging. Times changed and people is looking for healthy life options more and more and start this process can be very overwhelming when you don’t know exactly where to look… I’m Glad I found you!
Thank you so much for your tireless work!!
Although I don’t know you personally, I am so proud of you Food Babe, and I’m honored to be a part of the #FoodBabeArmy. Thank you sooooo much 🙂
Omg! This is amazing! You are amazing! Thank you!
great work.
It is time to take on Monsonto,& the establishment
It is our right to know what is in our food,everything should be labled especially GMO foods,no matter how much money is given to politicians,& lobbiests
WE NEED TO KNOW!! If something is not labeled it is not fit for consumption
Great work for healthy food.
Chemicals are all around us in food and drinks.
In the NY Times Food NYT NOW column yesterday September 22
there is an article quoting research and expert comments regarding the
Evidence that Artificial Sweeteners May Disrupt the Body’s Blood
Sugar Controls and act as a precursor to Diabetes.
Just think of all the coffee and tea drinkers and diet soda consumers who have consumed these Sweeteners for years and who though that changing from sugar was a healthier choice. The power of suggestive advertising and belief that these sweeteners would help with weight control when in fact the article suggests they have the opposite impact and as the article suggests that their consumption can be a precursor to diabetes.
The article is also in the current issue of NATURE.
Thank you FoodBabe for your diligence. People can assist you by reading every label before buying a food product. Ask at restaurants and fast foods when ordering food what ingredients are used. If the establishment does not know or won’t say, don’t eat there. Read people read and know. I called Country Oven bread producers why they are continuing to use Azodicarbonamide to which the person said they have a ‘natural bread’ section. I bought some Kettle Chips which I tried eating to which they were not fit to consume. A greasy texture. The chips were cooked in safflower and/or sunflower and/or canola oils. So, I sent the company an email about this problem to which the company was very receptive and concerned about the product. I also noticed there BBQ chips uses Turola yeast. Just be polite when contacting a company with a complaint.
Thanks again for all you are doing in the realm of better and safer food products.
I’m in Australia, and I love your work! I have shared your site with many of my friends, and they are all very impressed with everything you do. We don’t get all of the same products over here, but there are many similarities. You’ve helped me to educate myself about food that isn’t really food, manufacturers’ sneaky tactics and general nasties! A huge THANK YOU from down under 🙂
Hi,
I live in Northern CA, we are lucky to have a lot of Organic Foods here. I wonder if Mrs. Obama and her children are eating GMO foods. In light of Countries who have many more starving families that now are rejecting and outlawing these altered foods. The USA is still feeding our population with GMO approved foods … USA you pay their salaries and you voted for them … the elections are coming … stop being political and start being Healthy …
Vote
I live on food stamps. Shopping carefully and watching sales, while reading labels, healthy food can be affordable. Whole, Raw food is the key. I have found Organic Food on sale cheaper than the ones loaded with multiple forms of sweeteners in the same item. Not to mention chemicals I still can not spell. I am positive the Raw food today is not near as healthy as the food my parents fed me as a child. I remember a saying ” You are what you eat ” Today that is ( in my opinion ) is no better than ” Crack ” just a lot of Chemicals.
Eat Well !
Hi,
I am from England, and I have been following foodbabe for about a month, so keep up the good work Vani. I will be spreading the word here in the UK.
Good luck, Dave.
Food babe
You are doing Gods work good for us all. Our elected officials: Yes vote for them but you must absolutely keep an eye on them When you the(voters) back is turned they will support the big money people . Why else can food producers get away with serve us chemical food . They won’t let their children eat the same food as we eat . We have the votes we must use them to gain clean food,water ,air we breath Let take back our country from the tyranny of the Rich and powerful .
Dan
Dear Vani
Thank you for all your investigations, for the power, discipline and love you put into your work and for the will to spread your knowledge. I live in Switzerland and started about a month ago with living vegan. This forced me to think more about nutrients and cooking than I ever did before. But I also started to eat healthier and cook more creative than I did in my whole life! I read your mails now and then and – believe me – every time when I buy coconut juice in stores like Migros, Coop or even in alternative food shops, I wonder whether the juice is a good thing to buy or not. You informed about american products, so I don’t know what to think about swiss products. But I often see juice made from concentrate or others that are not from concentrate but standing not in the cooled area – so they must contain conservatives or have been pasteurized (is this the right word? I mean heated to kill bacteria).
I hope there will come a time when I can use your information for swiss products as well 😀 Good luck, a lot of strength and patience!
Mina Merry
Vani,
I know that what you nourish your body with now, greatly increases your longevity and health in this life. It does pay to be aware of GMO’s!!
Thank you for ALL the dedication!!!
Steve
Vani, thanks for your great mission to save humanity from killer corporates! I am your great follower from Tanzania. I hope that one day I will be allowed to disseminate your messages to my community. We have a room and means to avoid manufactured foods right now!
Be blessed!
Great article! Thanks for sharing. Please keep up the good work!
Congratulations Vani and Foodbabe Army! I am constantly sharing info from your newletters/website to my friends/family/clients and on my blog! It’s soooo exciting to see that your work is pretty much going viral! I wish you continued success, which no doubt will happen! Thank you for what you and your army do! You are very much appreciated! {{hugs}} 🙂
Congratulation on your Spanish voice now. I am from Mexico and am interested in seeing how much we can change our food industry. I am one of your admirers and your testimony is very similar to mine my problem is that I am not doing what you are doing in fighting back. God bless you.
hello I love all your article,s could you do some researcha bout apples apparently being one year old?
‘If you are buying apples from the grocery store, you might think you are nourishing your body with fresh raw produce but you could be mistaken.
Did you know, the apples in a standard grocery store could be over a year old?
Most have been picked when they are slightly unripe, then treated with a preserving chemical, waxed, boxed, stacked and stored in a cold room for an average of 12 months ‘for your convenience’.
Here’s to knowing where your food comes from!”’
I really enjoy reading all the Food Babe posts and learning everything I can about eating healthier. I was raised on processed foods and have to reteach myself how to eat at every meal. It’s not easy. It takes a lot of commitment to do things differently and find substitutes for old favorites, but I’m making small changes everyday and hoping the changes I make today will allow me to be healthier as I age and as I influence the next generation by example. Knowledge is power and I’m just happy that you’ve made it your passion to uncover the truth about what big business has done to our food supply and share it with those of us who are ready to listen. I look forward to your book in 2015 and plan to read it hot off the press.
FOOD BABE FOR PRESIDENT!!!
Rock ON Vani!!! Spreading the KNOWLEDGE 1 Country at a time.
“A Journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a Single Step”….
🙂