Blogger Vani Hari, also known as “the Food Babe,” is under scrutiny from some groups for assertions she’s made about science, ranging from genetically modified organisms to purported chemicals in food to her anti-vaccine beliefs.
On her website, Hari claims to be “hot on the trail to investigate what’s really in your food.” She’s not a doctor or a registered dietician, but she’s determined to share her views on the food industry and promote a healthy lifestyle. She’s gained a “food babe army,” consisting of people who look to her for nutrition advice and support her petitions against numerous food brands.
Controversy
There isn’t much debate when it comes to the health factor of fast food and processed meals. However, according to The New York Times, Hari will make false claims and use faulty reasoning to convince her audience of what she’s promoting. She commonly will find a chemical that’s used to make a certain food, then find out another use for it that would never be consumed by humans. For instance, a video of Hari shows her chewing on a yoga mat in an effort to persuade consumers that the chemical azodicarbonamide, which is used to manufacture yoga mats, is also found in Subway’s bread.
While scientists don’t doubt that a healthy diet and lifestyle are good, they largely disagree with Hari’s approach to bashing the food industry for “chemicals,” “toxins” and other ingredients that are even found in natural foods like peaches and oranges.
