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This information is based on personal experiences and general knowledge. It is not professional medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, lifestyle, or treatment plans. This content was created with the assistance of AI tools to ensure thorough research and readability.
A well-established tactic used by alcohol, tobacco, and food industry interests is to shift attention away from public health concerns by reframing regulatory efforts like a soda tax as an attack on freedom. These measures are often portrayed as examples of a nanny state, supposedly restricting consumer rights.
However, those who criticize government regulations often ignore how corporations actively work to shape and limit consumer choice. Take former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to limit soft drink sizes. Many people protested, claiming it interfered with personal freedom. But consider this: in the 1950s, a 12-ounce soda was considered king-sized. Today, that same size is marketed as a child’s portion. What used to be king has quietly become kid.
The personal responsibility argument, frequently used by the tobacco industry, has a certain appeal. If people know the risks, shouldn’t they be free to make their own choices? While individual choices can create broader social costs, including burdens on healthcare systems, some argue this is the price of living in a free society.
Still, there is a deeper issue. Can people truly make informed choices if the information they receive is distorted or incomplete? For decades, tobacco companies worked to suppress, distort, and discredit scientific findings. That is not empowerment. That is manipulation. One internal memo put it plainly: "Doubt is our product." The industry did not need to prove smoking was safe. It only needed to create confusion.
The food industry uses similar strategies. Consumers are bombarded with conflicting nutrition messages. Sensational headlines like "Butter is Back" may attract attention, but often leave the public misinformed. As Dr. Michael Greger explains in How Not to Diet, people enjoy hearing good news about bad habits—and industry marketers know exactly how to deliver it.
The World Health Organization has warned that public health is now challenged not just by Big Tobacco, but also by Big Food, Big Soda, and Big Alcohol. These industries resist regulation using a familiar playbook: lobbying, front groups, promises of self-regulation, lawsuits, and industry-funded research that clouds public understanding and delays meaningful change.
One striking historical example came in 1967, when a U.S. court ruled that for every four tobacco ads aired on television or radio, one public health ad had to be aired as well. Instead of allowing that small amount of truth to reach the public, tobacco companies chose to pull all advertising from television entirely. They understood they could not compete with honest information, even at a four-to-one ratio.
Today, health warnings appear on cigarette packaging, but their effectiveness varies by country. In the United States, warnings are printed in simple black-and-white text. In contrast, countries like Canada use graphic images such as diseased gums or drooping cigarettes accompanied by messages like "Tobacco use can make you impotent." Meanwhile, U.S. food labels are often hidden on the back of packaging in dense, technical formats. As Dr. Greger notes, no one is asking for images of flaccid frankfurters, but other countries have introduced clear and simple graphics to help consumers understand health risks at a glance.
One example is signpost labeling, a system that uses traffic-light colors on the front of food packaging to indicate levels of sugar, salt, and saturated fat. When this method was tested, analysts at Citibank observed that it significantly changed consumer behavior. The system worked. And that is exactly why the food industry fought back, spending over one billion dollars in Europe to block it. For perspective, that is ten times what the pharmaceutical lobby spends annually in the United States.
These industries thrive on confusion. The more uncertain people feel, the more likely they are to give up and consume whatever is most convenient. And that is exactly what these companies want.
- How Not To Diet by Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM book
