Podcast | How Big Tobacco Built the Food Industry with David Chiu

Or, listen on Spotify

In this episode, Jeff sits down with San Francisco City Attorney, David Chiu, to discuss his first-in-the-nation lawsuit against major ultra-processed food manufacturers. Drawing parallels to Big Tobacco litigation, David explains how companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Kraft Heinz have used addiction science and deceptive marketing – often targeting children and low-income communities – to maximize profits while leaving taxpayers to cover the healthcare costs.

They explore the tobacco industry's direct involvement in building the processed food industry, the 1999 executive meeting that predicted devastating health consequences, and why this lawsuit could reshape how we think about America's food system.

This show is made possible by:
Stemregen: Get 20% off your first order at stemregen.co/commune with the code COMMUNEPOD
CBDistillery: Go to CBDistillery.com and use code COMMUNE for 25% off.
Vivobarefoot: Try Vivobarefoot risk-free with a 100-day return guarantee, and get 15% off your order at vivobarefoot.com/commune.
LMNT: Get a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase at ⁠drinklmnt.com/commune⁠.

About the Commune Podcast

Hosted by Jeff Krasno, the Commune podcast features thoughtful conversations for modern times. Not always comfortable but definitely needed, we explore both humanity and our human-ness. How can we live healthy, purpose-filled lives and be in service of something bigger? Guests include spiritual teachers, poets, scientists, philosophers, and activists for food sustainability, functional medicine, mental and physical health, and collective healing.