In 1999, the CEOs of America’s 11 largest food companies gathered for a private meeting. Coca-Cola. Kraft. Nabisco. General Mills. Direct competitors, sitting at the same table.

They weren’t there to talk profits or market share. They were there to confront the growing evidence that their products were making people sick — fueling addiction and chronic disease on a scale comparable to cigarettes.

By the end of that meeting, they made a decision. They wouldn’t change course. They would double down.

Scientists were hired to perfect the “bliss point.” Marketers were brought in to engineer craving. Psychologists studied how to bypass willpower altogether. And chances are, you’ve felt the cost of that decision — in your own health, or in someone you love.

Today, nearly 60 percent of Americans live with at least one chronic disease. Cancer. Diabetes. Obesity. Heart disease. And the damage isn’t only physical. The same systems that hijack the body also hijack the brain, driving anxiety, depression, and addiction.

With so much speculation and misinformation around this topic, we needed someone who could tell the story truthfully — without conspiracy, and without spin.

That’s why we sat down with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Moss, author of the New York Times bestsellers Salt Sugar Fat and Hooked. For years, he’s investigated the food labs, boardrooms, and marketing strategies of Big Food — tracing exactly how these systems were built, and why they persist.

Together, we created one of the most comprehensive conversations you’ll find on this subject. A clear, linear look at what’s happening, how it’s affecting you, and what it actually takes to begin reclaiming your agency.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
2:01 - The Secret 1999 Meeting
11:04 - How Ultra Processed Food Leads To Disease & Addiction
31:22 - What Happens Behind Closed Doors
1:10:15 - How Big Food Copied Cigarette Companies
1:21:53 - Where is the Government in This?
1:26:41 - Defeating Big Food

Mighty Pursuit Links:
Website: https://www.mightypursuit.com
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Michael Moss Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelcmoss/
X: https://x.com/MichaelMossC
Salt, Sugar, Fat (Book): https://amzn.to/4s6LGH7
Hooked (Book): https://amzn.to/4pObS88

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