Commune with Jeff Krasno How Big Tobacco Built the Food Industry with David Chiu
Feb 26, 2026
David Chiu, San Francisco City Attorney known for high-profile public-interest litigation, discusses a first-in-the-nation lawsuit against major ultra-processed food manufacturers. He traces tobacco industry ties to Big Food and explains how addictive product design and targeted marketing harm children and low-income communities. The conversation explores legal claims, potential restitution uses, and visions for reshaping the food system.
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Big Tobacco Built Food Addiction
- Ultra-processed foods are engineered for addiction using techniques transferred from Big Tobacco.
- David Chiu says tobacco companies moved addiction scientists and marketers into food firms to design craveable products like cigarettes were designed.
Ultra Processed Foods Socialize Health Costs
- As ultra-processed consumption rose, chronic diseases and public health costs have surged, shifting costs onto taxpayers and public health systems.
- Chiu frames this as privatizing profits while socializing healthcare burdens.
Tobacco Acquisitions Spawned Big Food Playbook
- Major tobacco firms bought food companies in the 1960s–70s and applied addiction research to food development.
- Chiu cites R.J. Reynolds buying Nabisco and Philip Morris buying Kraft as direct transfers of people and playbooks.