Dig into the seedy underbelly of the food world, where corporate titans wage secret wars over seemingly innocent products like eggless mayonnaise and hot coffee. From multi-million dollar legal battles to covert smear campaigns, this episode exposes the cloak-and-dagger tactics used by Big Food to protect profits - even if it means burning victims along the way. Get a tantalizing taste of the crimes and deception lurking behind your favorite eats.
The Seedy Underbelly of Food & Crime
You may think your innocent morning coffee or favorite sandwich spread is just that - innocent. But the food world has a dark side full of corporate espionage, legal battles, and covert smear campaigns. Get ready to explore the sinister side of your everyday eats.
Eggless Mayonnaise Sparks War
In 2014, an upstart vegan company dared to make a plant-based mayonnaise alternative called Just Mayo. Industry titan Unilever (maker of Hellmann's) wasn't having it, suing to prevent them representing the products as "mayo" since it contained no eggs.
But the scandal went deeper than a simple labeling dispute. The American Egg Board, a USDA-sanctioned organization, secretly hired bloggers to promote pro-egg messaging and create anti-Just Mayo online ads. Emails even discussed plans to publicly "hit" the Just Mayo founder.
This mayonnaisemelee shows how far Big Food will go to protect its turf - using underhanded tactics that seem better suited to cloak-and-dagger spies than sellers of sandwich spreads.
The Hot Coffee Burning Truth
In the 1990s, an elderly woman named Stella Liebeck was severely burned by McDonald's coffee that was served at a stunningly-high 180-190°F. She sued, initially asking for just $20,000 in expenses, but the case ballooned into a multi-million dollar punitive damages award.
The media painted Liebeck as merely an opportunistic litigant. But the truth reveals McDonald's knew its coffee caused serious burns. The truth of Liebeck's burns and medical costs were glossed over as the public mocked her award.
Years later, the hot coffee case demonstrates how large corporations control the narrative through selective reporting - distorting a victim's reality to protect their practices.
Corporate Espionage or Savvy Business?
With billions at stake, it's no surprise that major food players will go to great lengths to maintain dominance and squash threats. From funding shadowy PR campaigns to manipulating public perception, the cases of Just Mayo and McDonald's hot coffee give a glimpse into the darker side of the food industry.
But are these simply savvy business moves to protect assets and brands? Or have companies crossed ethical lines better suited to the world of spies and criminals than honest food purveyors? Decide for yourself as you hear the full fascinating story on the latest Food & Crime episode of the As We Eat Podcast.
Transcript
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