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She might have started from honest roots. Her story says she was duped by an organic yogurt stand (join the club) into buying taro toppings that were filled with artificial, non-organic colors. She realized that she could use social media to coalesce affluent consumers in a formation to cyber-slander change from businesses. Shove this dookie through a conduit of the science illiterate and...

An entrepreneur was born!

She found that a popular social media site was more powerful than science itself, more powerful than reason, more powerful than actually knowing what you're talking about. Her discussion was a narcissistic, self-appointed attack on food science and human nutrition. There is a vein in my head that pulses when I hear someone deliberately misrepresent science for personal celebrity, and it was pounding.

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She went on about labeling GMO, making the argument ad populum that '64 countries label them so why don't we get the same rights?"

She explained transgenic crops (of course not using that language) as dangerous, and untested. There were claims about how the crops were linked to cancer and autism. She also claimed that "GMO crops cause an increase in pesticides" which is completely false-- and she knows it. Her words were cleverly chosen, carefully stated, so if someone holds her accountable she can weasel out.

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Hari then went on to talk about her successes in strong-arming Chick-fil-A, Budweiser and Subway into reformulating their foods and beverages. She's proud that she was invited to corporate headquarters to force change, proud that a know-nothing with a following can affect change simply by propagating false information via the internet.

That's not healthy activism or change based on science. That's coercion, fear mongering and (yes) terrorism to achieve short-sighted political non-victories in the name of profit and self-promotion, ironically the same thing she accuses the companies of.

Luckily, Starbucks didn't fold. They refused her assault on Pumpkin Spiced Lattes and the demand for organic milk. Unfortunately it was not corporate cojones it was likely simple economics. There's no way that they could source that much organic milk. Otherwise, Hari would have blackmailed them too.

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While microphones stood ready in the audience to answer questions, there was no public Q&A period where a scientist that knows the research could publicly challenge her false assertions. The audience filed out of the building, and apparently she may have stuck around to meet with individuals. However, I wanted her answers in a way students could hear, helping them to critically assess the arguments of scholars vs. self-appointed celebrities. Questions like:
Why am I blocked for posting hard science facts to your websites?
How do you feel about transgenic solutions to citrus greening?
What is your evidence for higher pesticide rates?
... and a dozen others.

Just reaffirming why I loathe idiots such as the food babe, and people who take her words as gospel.

And FWIW, i too have been blocked from posting to her facebook page because i posted the craft beer industries response to her false reporting on "additives in beer".

This post was edited on 10/23/14 at 8:04 am