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In 2013, Hari wrote about the use of class IV [[caramel color]] in [[Newcastle Brown Ale]] on her blog and put public pressure on them to drop this ingredient.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title = Newcastle removing caramel coloring|url = http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/01/26/newcastle-ale-heineken-beer-brewer-caramel-coloring/22371053/|website = USA TODAY|accessdate = 2015-10-27}}</ref> In January 2015, Heineken announced that they will stop adding class IV caramel color to their Newcastle Brown Ale, and will instead color it naturally with the same roasted malt they previously used.<ref name=":2" /> Heineken's announcement came just prior to the release of her book ''The Food Babe Way'' (February 10, 2015) that devotes a chapter to the ingredients in in some beers, wines and liquors, including caramel coloring.<ref name=":2" />
In 2013, Hari wrote about the use of class IV [[caramel color]] in [[Newcastle Brown Ale]] on her blog and put public pressure on them to drop this ingredient.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title = Newcastle removing caramel coloring|url = http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/01/26/newcastle-ale-heineken-beer-brewer-caramel-coloring/22371053/|website = USA TODAY|accessdate = 2015-10-27}}</ref> In January 2015, Heineken announced that they will stop adding class IV caramel color to their Newcastle Brown Ale, and will instead color it naturally with the same roasted malt they previously used.<ref name=":2" /> Heineken's announcement came just prior to the release of her book ''The Food Babe Way'' (February 10, 2015) that devotes a chapter to the ingredients in in some beers, wines and liquors, including caramel coloring.<ref name=":2" />


In February 2014, Hari launched a petition on her website asking [[Subway (restaurant)|Subway]] to remove [[azodicarbonamide]] (a common [[flour bleaching agent]] and [[dough conditioner]]<ref name="FDA">FDA [http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm387497.htm Frequently Asked Questions on Azodicarbonamide (ADA)] Page Last Updated: 20 June 2014</ref>) from their [[sandwich bread]]. The petition gathered more than 50,000 signatures in 24 hours.<ref name="susan">{{cite web|last=Donaldson James|first=Susan|title=Subway Takes Chemical Out of Sandwich Bread After Protest|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Health/subway-takes-chemical-sandwich-bread-protest/story?id=22373414|publisher=ABC News|date=February 5, 2014}}</ref> Subway responded by announcing a plan to remove the ingredient from all of their sandwich breads.<ref name="nydaily">{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/subway-remove-additive-found-plastics-bread-article-1.1604610 |title=Subway will remove additive found in plastics from its bread after blogger's online petition |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=February 6, 2014 |accessdate=April 29, 2014 |last=Miller |first=Tracy |location=[[New York City]]}}</ref> [[NPR]] performed a follow up story about Hari's petition to Subway in which several [[food science]] experts said that the level of azodicarbonamide permitted by the FDA for use in bread is too low to pose significant risk.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/06/286886095/almost-500-foods-contain-the-yoga-mat-compound-should-we-care-keep |title=Almost 500 Foods Contain The 'Yoga Mat' Compound. Should We Care? |date=6 March 2014 |accessdate=18 November 2014 |last=Cornish |first=Audi |publisher=National Public Radio}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=286886095 |title=Almost 500 Foods Contain The 'Yoga Mat' Compound. Should We Care? (Audio Transcript) |date=6 March 2014 |accessdate=18 November 2014 |last=Cornish |first=Audi |publisher=National Public Radio}}</ref>
In February 2014, Hari launched a petition on her website asking [[Subway (restaurant)|Subway]] to remove [[azodicarbonamide]] (a common [[flour bleaching agent]] and [[dough conditioner]]<ref name="FDA">FDA [http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm387497.htm Frequently Asked Questions on Azodicarbonamide (ADA)] Page Last Updated: 20 June 2014</ref>) from their [[sandwich bread]]. The petition gathered more than 50,000 signatures in 24 hours.<ref name="susan">{{cite web|last=Donaldson James|first=Susan|title=Subway Takes Chemical Out of Sandwich Bread After Protest|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Health/subway-takes-chemical-sandwich-bread-protest/story?id=22373414|publisher=ABC News|date=February 5, 2014}}</ref> The scientists at [[Environmental Working Group]]<ref>{{Cite web|title = Latest Food Scare: What Is The 'Yoga Mat' Chemical - And Why Is It In Your Food?|url = http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2014/02/27/what-is-the-yoga-mat-chemical-and-why-is-it-in-your-food/|website = Forbes|accessdate = 2015-10-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = “Yoga Mat” Chemical Found in nearly 500 Foods|url = http://www.ewg.org/release/yoga-mat-chemical-found-nearly-500-foods|website = EWG|accessdate = 2015-10-28}}</ref> and [[Center for Science in the Public Interest|The Center For Science In The Public Interest (CSPI)]] supported the removal of azodicarbonamide and urge against its use stating, ''“safety testing of azodicarbonamide has been inadequate”''.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Food Business News|url = http://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/news_home/Regulatory_News/2014/02/Petition_CSPI_attack_baking_us.aspx?ID=%257B6DC46FFE-037C-43AF-9ED7-593E77974D72%257D|website = www.foodbusinessnews.net|accessdate = 2015-10-28}}</ref> Subway responded by announcing a plan to remove the ingredient from all of their sandwich breads.<ref name="nydaily">{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/subway-remove-additive-found-plastics-bread-article-1.1604610 |title=Subway will remove additive found in plastics from its bread after blogger's online petition |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=February 6, 2014 |accessdate=April 29, 2014 |last=Miller |first=Tracy |location=[[New York City]]}}</ref> [[NPR]] performed a follow up story about Hari's petition to Subway in which several [[food science]] experts said that the level of azodicarbonamide permitted by the FDA for use in bread is too low to pose significant risk.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/06/286886095/almost-500-foods-contain-the-yoga-mat-compound-should-we-care-keep |title=Almost 500 Foods Contain The 'Yoga Mat' Compound. Should We Care? |date=6 March 2014 |accessdate=18 November 2014 |last=Cornish |first=Audi |publisher=National Public Radio}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=286886095 |title=Almost 500 Foods Contain The 'Yoga Mat' Compound. Should We Care? (Audio Transcript) |date=6 March 2014 |accessdate=18 November 2014 |last=Cornish |first=Audi |publisher=National Public Radio}}</ref>


In June 2014, Hari posted a petition asking major [[brewing|brewers]] to list the ingredients in their products,<ref>{{cite news |date=June 12, 2014 |first1=Joseph |last1=Pisani |url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/budweiser-lists-ingredients-first-time |title=Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors Post Beer Ingredients |work=Associated Press}}</ref> something which US brewers are not required to do.<ref name=LAtimesBeer>{{cite news|last1=Sacks|first1=Brianna|title=Pressed by blogger, Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors post beer ingredients|url=http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-beer-anheuser-busch-miller-coors-ingredients-20140613-story.html|publisher=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=June 17, 2014|date=June 13, 2014}}</ref> As part of this campaign she claimed that commercial brewers "even use fish swim bladders" in their beer, as an undisclosed ingredient. NPR cited this as an example of fearmongering and lack of subject matter knowledge, as [[isinglass]], derived from fish swim bladders, has been used as a natural [[finings|fining]] agent in food and drink for centuries, and is in any case used primarily in cask ale, not vat-brewed beers, which are normally cleared by filtering.<ref name="NPR-20141204">{{cite web | url=http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/12/04/364745790/food-babe-or-fear-babe-as-activist-s-profile-grows-so-do-her-critics | title=Is The Food Babe A Fearmonger? Scientists Are Speaking Out | publisher=NPR |first=Maria|last=Godoy| date=December 4, 2014 | accessdate=August 7, 2015}}</ref> Hari later claimed that she was aware of the historic use of isinglass, and was raising attention to it for the benefit of uninformed vegans and vegetarians.<ref name=BabeResponse/> The next day, [[Anheuser-Busch]] and [[MillerCoors]] released ingredients in many of their products.<ref name="postdispatch">{{cite news |url=http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/anheuser-busch-millercoors-list-ingredients-in-key-brands/article_b187e6e2-6298-5b28-a194-b324f7cde801.html |title=Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors list ingredients in key brands |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=June 13, 2014 |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=June 17, 2014}}</ref> The trade publication ''[[Beer Marketer's Insights]]'' called Hari's petition an "attempt of fear mongering in the name of advocacy."<ref name=LAtimesBeer />
In June 2014, Hari posted a petition asking major [[brewing|brewers]] to list the ingredients in their products,<ref>{{cite news |date=June 12, 2014 |first1=Joseph |last1=Pisani |url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/budweiser-lists-ingredients-first-time |title=Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors Post Beer Ingredients |work=Associated Press}}</ref> something which US brewers are not required to do.<ref name=LAtimesBeer>{{cite news|last1=Sacks|first1=Brianna|title=Pressed by blogger, Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors post beer ingredients|url=http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-beer-anheuser-busch-miller-coors-ingredients-20140613-story.html|publisher=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=June 17, 2014|date=June 13, 2014}}</ref> As part of this campaign she claimed that commercial brewers "even use fish swim bladders" in their beer, as an undisclosed ingredient. NPR cited this as an example of fearmongering and lack of subject matter knowledge, as [[isinglass]], derived from fish swim bladders, has been used as a natural [[finings|fining]] agent in food and drink for centuries, and is in any case used primarily in cask ale, not vat-brewed beers, which are normally cleared by filtering.<ref name="NPR-20141204">{{cite web | url=http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/12/04/364745790/food-babe-or-fear-babe-as-activist-s-profile-grows-so-do-her-critics | title=Is The Food Babe A Fearmonger? Scientists Are Speaking Out | publisher=NPR |first=Maria|last=Godoy| date=December 4, 2014 | accessdate=August 7, 2015}}</ref> Hari later claimed that she was aware of the historic use of isinglass, and was raising attention to it for the benefit of uninformed vegans and vegetarians.<ref name=BabeResponse/> The next day, [[Anheuser-Busch]] and [[MillerCoors]] released ingredients in many of their products.<ref name="postdispatch">{{cite news |url=http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/anheuser-busch-millercoors-list-ingredients-in-key-brands/article_b187e6e2-6298-5b28-a194-b324f7cde801.html |title=Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors list ingredients in key brands |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=June 13, 2014 |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=June 17, 2014}}</ref> The trade publication ''[[Beer Marketer's Insights]]'' called Hari's petition an "attempt of fear mongering in the name of advocacy."<ref name=LAtimesBeer />

Revision as of 17:28, 28 October 2015

Vani Hari
Hari in a 2012 interview with the Charlotte Video Project
Born
Vani Deva Hari

(1979-03-22) March 22, 1979 (age 45)
Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Alma materUniversity of North Carolina at Charlotte[1]
Known forFood blogger, food activist, internet marketer, NY times best selling author
Websitewww.foodbabe.com

Vani Deva Hari (born March 22, 1979), also known on her blog as the Food Babe, is an American author and activist known for her criticism of the food industry. She is a New York Times best-selling author,[2] and companies such as Kraft,[3] Chick-fil-A and Subway have changed or reconsidered ingredients in their products as a result of her campaigns.[4] Her views on food safety have been criticized by scientists.[5][6]

Career

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina to Indian immigrant parents from Punjab (India),[7][8] Hari first attended the University of Georgia before transferring to University of North Carolina at Charlotte. After graduating in 2001 with a degree in computer science, she worked as a management consultant for Accenture.[9] In her 20s Hari was hospitalized as the result of a poor diet. In response she began looking into health and nutrition issues.[10] She started the Food Babe blog in 2011, which received over 54 million views in 2014.[5][11][12] Hari has over 93,000 twitter followers, and an official facebook page with over one million likes. She refers to her followers and supporters as the "Food Babe Army."[10]

In 2011, Hari wrote a piece about ingredients in Chick-fil-A sandwiches which she alleged to be harmful. Chick-fil-A responded to Hari's post in May 2012, inviting her to its headquarters in Atlanta to discuss her concerns. As part of a larger effort to improve the nutrition of their products, Chick-fil-A announced in late 2013 it was removing dyes, corn syrup, and TBHQ from their products. They also announced a plan to only use antibiotic-free chickens within the next five years.[4]

During the 2012 Democratic National Convention, which she attended as an elected delegate, Hari sat in the first row on the convention floor and held a sign that read "Label GMOs!" during Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack's speech.[13][14][15] Hari said President Barack Obama broke a promise that he made during his 2008 presidential campaign to label genetically modified food.[13]

In 2012, Hari investigated Chipotle and wrote a blog post [16] about her quest to get clear answers about what Chipotle used in their food, saying that: "Most of their food was contaminated with genetically modified cooking oil, corn oil, and they were using genetically modified ingredients in their tortillas. Even in the black beans there was GMO soybean oil. You couldn't even order vegetarian and avoid it. It was really unfortunate. Then, when I saw their flour tortillas' package, it said that they use trans-fat. That's crazy."[16] After she published her blog post, Chipotle set up a meeting with Hari where she urged them to publish their ingredients publicly.[16] In March 2013, Chipotle’s Communications Director emailed Hari with a link to a new page on Chipotle’s website with the ingredients in all of their menu items, along with a statement on the sidebar, "Our goal is to eliminate GMOs from Chipotle's ingredients, and we’re working hard to meet this challenge."[16][17] In April 2015, Chipotle followed up on their commitment to remove GMO ingredients from their food and became the first national restaurant chain to use only non-GMO ingredients.[18][19]

In March 2013, Hari posted her first petition on Change.org asking Kraft Foods to remove FD&C yellow #5 and FD&C yellow #6 food dyes from their Mac & Cheese. On April 1, 2013, Hari visited Kraft headquarters in Chicago with over 270,000 signed petitions and met with executives.[20] Following Hari's visit Kraft told ABC News Chicago they have "no plans to change the recipe for the original mac and cheese",[21] and "The safety and quality of our products is our highest priority and we take consumer concerns very seriously. We carefully follow the laws and regulations in the countries where our products are sold."[22] Hari replied, "People have tried to petition the FDA over and over and it hasn't worked. The best way to create change is to hold the food companies responsible". While the dyes are legal in the US, Kraft uses a different formula in the United Kingdom, where such dyes are illegal.[22] By the end of October of that year the petition had received about 348,000 signatures.[23] In October, Kraft changed the ingredients in three of its Mac & Cheese products aimed at children, which included the use of whole grains, reduction in salt and some fats, and changing the coloring; Kraft said that the changes were not a response to the petition but rather were part of an ongoing effort to improve the nutrition of the offerings, which takes several years to plan and implement.[4][23] Hari claimed credit for the changes.[23] In April 2015, Kraft further announced that they will remove artificial dyes and artificial preservatives from all of its Mac & Cheese products by 2016.[24]

In 2013, Hari wrote about the use of class IV caramel color in Newcastle Brown Ale on her blog and put public pressure on them to drop this ingredient.[25] In January 2015, Heineken announced that they will stop adding class IV caramel color to their Newcastle Brown Ale, and will instead color it naturally with the same roasted malt they previously used.[25] Heineken's announcement came just prior to the release of her book The Food Babe Way (February 10, 2015) that devotes a chapter to the ingredients in in some beers, wines and liquors, including caramel coloring.[25]

In February 2014, Hari launched a petition on her website asking Subway to remove azodicarbonamide (a common flour bleaching agent and dough conditioner[26]) from their sandwich bread. The petition gathered more than 50,000 signatures in 24 hours.[27] The scientists at Environmental Working Group[28][29] and The Center For Science In The Public Interest (CSPI) supported the removal of azodicarbonamide and urge against its use stating, “safety testing of azodicarbonamide has been inadequate”.[30] Subway responded by announcing a plan to remove the ingredient from all of their sandwich breads.[31] NPR performed a follow up story about Hari's petition to Subway in which several food science experts said that the level of azodicarbonamide permitted by the FDA for use in bread is too low to pose significant risk.[32][33]

In June 2014, Hari posted a petition asking major brewers to list the ingredients in their products,[34] something which US brewers are not required to do.[35] As part of this campaign she claimed that commercial brewers "even use fish swim bladders" in their beer, as an undisclosed ingredient. NPR cited this as an example of fearmongering and lack of subject matter knowledge, as isinglass, derived from fish swim bladders, has been used as a natural fining agent in food and drink for centuries, and is in any case used primarily in cask ale, not vat-brewed beers, which are normally cleared by filtering.[36] Hari later claimed that she was aware of the historic use of isinglass, and was raising attention to it for the benefit of uninformed vegans and vegetarians.[37] The next day, Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors released ingredients in many of their products.[38] The trade publication Beer Marketer's Insights called Hari's petition an "attempt of fear mongering in the name of advocacy."[35]

In August 2014, Hari wrote a blog post in which she exposed the lack of transparency when it comes to the ingredients in their drinks.[39] She noted that Starbucks doesn’t publish their ingredients online and pointed out the use of class IV caramel color and the lack of real pumpkin in Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte.[40] This blog post received over 10 million views in 2014 and in the fall of 2015 Starbucks debuted a reformulated Pumpkin Spice Latte with real pumpkin and without caramel color.[41] Hari took credit for this change, claiming to have emailed them monthly for updates.[39]

On February 5, 2015 Hari launched a petition on her website asking General Mills and Kellogg’s to remove the preservative butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) from their cereals.[42] The additive has been widely used in cereal packaging in the U.S. for many years. BHT has to be listed as an ingredient on food labels, and some consumer-protection advocates like the Environmental Working Group have advised people to avoid it when possible.[43] Cereals marketed in Europe by General Mills and Kellogg’s do not contain the additive. Hari's petition received over 30,000 signatures in 24 hours.[42] On February 5, 2015, General Mills released a statement that they are removing BHT from its cereal, stating, "This change is not for safety reasons, but because we think consumers will embrace it. We’ve never spoken with Vani Hari and she did not play any role in our decision", and "Our removal of BHT from cereals is well underway and has been for more than a year".[44] However, Hari received an email from General Mills just weeks prior to her petition stating that BHT was safe: "Before, it was, 'These ingredients were safe.' Now, it's, 'They're safe, but we’re going to take them out.' This is the typical PR line to save face. They think I'll back off, but they still haven2t given a timeline."[45] General Mills has since removed BHT from some varieties of their cereal, and by mid-2015 Golden Grahams, Cocoa Puffs, Banana Nut Cheerios, and Corn Chex no longer contained BHT, although they did prior to Hari’s petition.[46]

As a result of her work, Hari states that she is "getting attacked every day with a death threat."[37][47]

Influence and awards

Hari's petitions regularly get hundreds of thousands of signatures. Her petition about Kraft's ingredients received over 365,000 signatures and her Subway petition received over 50,000 signatures in the first 24 hours.[12][48] Her site had a reported 52 million visitors in 2014, and over 3 million unique visitors per month.[12][48]

In March 2015, Time named Hari among "The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet".[49]

The Food Babe Way

Hari's first book, The Food Babe Way, was released on February 10, 2015. The book was #4 on the New York Times Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous bestseller list for March 1, 2015. It remained on the list for 5 weeks.[50] It also appeared as #1 for nonfiction on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list for the week ending February 15, 2015.[51][52]

Reception

Hari is a former management consultant who has a degree in computer science, and has no expertise in nutrition or food science. According to Kevin Folta, Hari's lack of training often leads her to misinterpret peer-reviewed research and technical details about food chemistry, nutrition, and health.[36][53] In response, Hari stated, "I never claimed to be a nutritionist. I'm an investigator."[36]

Cheryl Wischhover in Elle described Hari's tactics as "manipulative", "sneaky", and "polarizing rather than productive." Wischhover also wrote about cases of Hari deleting and failing to acknowledge past articles, and stated "The fact that she tried to disappear these stories makes me distrust and discredit anything else she has to say, and it's mindboggling that others still take her seriously." [54] In December 2014 a National Public Radio article compared her activism to fearmongering.[36]

Yvette d'Entremont, an analytical chemist and toxicologist, writing for Gawker detailed significant problems with Hari's claims, describing her writing as "the worst assault on science on the internet".[55][56] In an interview with BostInno d'Entremont is reported to have received "death threats following her takedown of 'Food Babe'".[57]

Following d'Entremont's article, Dr. Marion Nestle said d'Entremonts criticisms were "valid scientifically", but "the real charge against Vani Hari is that she removes the nuances" of the science which makes it "easy for people to understand, but not necessarily accurate." Her criticisms of Hari's work is that it "needs a sounder scientific basis", and she would prefer that Hari direct her efforts to "really important issues like antibiotics in the food supply and other things that it has been impossible to galvanize public attention to".[6]

Promotion of pseudoscience

Hari has been widely criticized by scientists and others for promoting pseudoscience.[9][53][58][59] Horticultural scientist Kevin Folta has accused Hari of being "afraid of scientific engagement." Folta stated that while her campaigns have been driven by "honest intention," they had the effect of spreading scientific disinformation.[36] Dr. Joseph A. Schwarcz, director of McGill University's Office of Science and Society and a chemistry professor, states Hari "has no understanding of chemistry or food science" and that "her scientific background is nonexistent".[60][61] He describes azodicarbonamide, a chemical Hari opposes the usage of, as being safe for use in food but unessential.[62]

Following her beer campaign, David Gorski, a surgeon, stated that she was "peddling pseudoscience" by portraying the chemicals used in the making of beer as dangerous.[53][63]

In a July 2012 post (since removed), Hari quoted the ideas of Masaru Emoto, namely that microwave ovens cause water molecules to form crystals that resemble crystals exposed to negative thoughts or beliefs, such as when the words "Hitler" and "Satan" were exposed to the water.[64] Dr. Novella calls Emoto's claims "pure pseudoscience" and states that "Hari's conclusions about microwaves are all demonstrably incorrect and at odds with the scientific evidence."[65] She later described the post as not her "most impressive piece of work" and noted that it was written when she had first started blogging.[37] In a widely discredited[66] 2011 post Hari warned readers that the air pumped into aircraft cabins was not pure oxygen, complaining it was "mixed with nitrogen, sometimes almost at 50 per cent" despite ambient air being 78% nitrogen. Hari deleted the post, later claiming it contained an "inadvertent error."[54][67][68]

In an October 2011 blog post, Hari questioned the efficacy of flu shots,[69][70] and the following day tweeted that flu vaccines have been "used as a genocide tool in the past". The tweet was subsequently deleted.[5][71][72] Hari's position was criticised as false and dangerous by the American Council on Science and Health.[73]

In The Food Babe Way, Hari states "There is just no acceptable level of any chemical to ingest, ever." This quote was noted by The Atlantic in its review of the book,[47] used as a pull quote, and criticised at length. The statement became widely controversial in the press[74] and with public organizations promoting science, such as McGill University's Office for Science & Society[75] and the American Council on Science and Health.[73] Hari responded by stating that the quote was taken out of its context of hormone-mimicking chemicals and growth stimulants, which can cause problems even in very small amounts.[76]

Marketing strategy

In an article in Bloomberg Businessweek, Duane D. Stanford wrote that Hari has an apparent financial interest in generating controversy in order to draw traffic to her website to increase ad sales and drive readers to buy a subscription to her organic Eating Guide, which Hari says is her primary source of revenue.[61] Hari's critics have drawn attention to her affiliated marketing partnerships with small organic and non-GMO brands, that she profits from recommending above mainstream brands. Hari has stated "I'm not doing this to make money. This is my life. This is my passion. This is my calling. There is no way I would put myself on the line like I do because of money. This is all about what I've learned, and I have to tell everyone."[10][36]

A 2015 article in Skeptical Inquirer details products Hari declares as having toxic ingredients while Hari promotes and profits from products containing the same or similar ingredients. Hari's claims that these chemicals are dangerous have been dismissed by experts in science and medicine as incorrect or exaggerated.[77] Hari has in the past removed products from her site when attention was drawn to them containing chemicals she has spoken against, such as a body scrub called "Fresh" which contained butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), which she fought against.However, Vani Hari also claims that BHT in skin products is not as toxic to humans in skin products as opposed to in the packaging of food items.[78]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sheridan, Ann (August 29, 2012). "Food blogger hopes to get Obama's attention". NBC News.
  2. ^ Cowles, Gregory. "Best Sellers: Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous". newyorktimes.com. newyorktimes. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  3. ^ "Kraft shifts on Mac & Cheese – score one for the Food Babe - Chicago Business Journal". Chicago Business Journal. https://plus.google.com/115058816124972466715/. Retrieved October 27, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ a b c Strom, Stephanie (December 30, 2013). "Social Media As A Megaphone To Pressure The Food Industry". The New York Times.
  5. ^ a b c Belluz, Julia (April 7, 2015). "Why the "Food Babe" enrages scientists". Vox Media.
  6. ^ a b "The Nutritional Value of Food Babe Versus Science Babe". NPR. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  7. ^ Buckley, Bob (April 9, 2013). "'The Food Babe' takes on processed foods". MyFox8.com. WGHP. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  8. ^ Fernandes, Joeanna Rebello (June 15, 2014). "The food babe who has bite". Times of India. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Purvis, Kathleen (September 8, 2014). "Charlotte's Food Babe has lots of fans – and some critics". Charlotte Observer.
  10. ^ a b c Morrison, Maureen; Schultz, E. J. (July 14, 2014). "Activist or Capitalist? How the 'Food Babe' Makes Money". AdvertisingAge. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  11. ^ Susannah Cahalan (March 29, 2015). "The controversial rise of the 'Food Babe'". New York Post. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  12. ^ a b c Parvati Shallow (April 1, 2015). "Vani Hari sounds the alarm for changing the food industry". CBS. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Somers, Meredith (September 5, 2012). "Delegate's front-row seat a bully pulpit on what we eat". The Washington Times. Washington, D.C.: Unification Church. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  14. ^ Perlmutt, David; Bryan, Florence; Mayhew, Justin (September 4, 2012). "Fried chicken, political buttons and a little darkness: Delegates find it all". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, North Carolina: The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  15. ^ Dougherty, Elizabeth (September 18, 2012). "DNC Delegate Stands Up To Obama And USDA At Convention". News Talk Florida. Largo, Florida: Genesis Communications Network. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  16. ^ a b c d "Activist Blogger 'Foodbabe' Scores Big Win With Chipotle". TakePart. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  17. ^ "Chipotle: Ingredients Statement". March 25, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
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