Why Speaking About Sugar Could Get You Sued | Dr. Eric Berg DC

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1:00What if just saying sugar is harmful could actually get you sued? It's not because it's not true. It's because a powerful industry does not like criticism. What I'm going to talk about might sound completely unbelievable, but there is a bill right now that they're trying to pass that if it goes through is going to be disastrous. Not just about sugar, about a lot of other things that are harmful to us. This is not about a food safety law. This is about a speech law. It controls who is allowed to criticize agriculture and who isn't. And it uses something called defamation as a weapon. Florida already has a law that allows farmers to sue someone who spreads false information about food. This is sometimes called food liable or food disbursement. The original idea was simple. Don't lie about fresh produce and destroy the farmers livelihood. At least that's how it was sold to the public, but that's not how it's being used. Certain investigative journalists uncovered internal documents from large agriculture and

2:05chemical companies. And in those documents showed the real goal, which had nothing to do with protecting farmers. And instead, it had everything to do with what to do with critics. Our mental groups, journalists, activists, scientists, the strategy was to make lawsuits so expensive, so unpredictable that people would stop talking about it. Even if they were right, the term for this is called chilling free speech. Here's where the current bill becomes very dangerous. The old law only applied to perishable foods because it limited the law to things like fruits and vegetables that spoil quickly. So it kept it very narrow. The new bill removes the word perishable that one little tiny change quietly expands the law to all agricultural products, including sugar, but it goes further. The bill also adds a new phrase, any agricultural practice used in production.

3:09That means criticism of pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, fertilizer, chemical runoff, water contamination, all now can be treated as disparagement. I mean, everyone knows that excessive sugar is bad for the body, right? Insulin resistance, fatty liver, chronic inflammation, type 2 diabetes. This is not just opinion. This is an established fact. But if this bill goes through and someone speaks out about sugar or pesticides or whatever and how it can affect your health or how it's even produced, even if it's truthful, a powerful company could sue you. And so now that puts an activist or an influencer who's talking about sugar in a situation where now they have to pay for legal costs, but not only that, if they lose the case, now that individual has to then pay the other attorney's fees. Now this bill is coming out of Florida, okay? But even if you don't live in Florida, this matters because Florida crops are sold nationwide.

4:14Legal experts warn that this could open the door to lawsuits that go way beyond the state. And this sets a very dangerous precedent. Florida already has defamation laws, and we absolutely do not need more special legal protection for powerful industries like the sugar industry, like the pesticide industry. And then what happens is you can't debate these things because the threat of a lawsuit or a threat of some type of punishment. So when I first saw this bill, I was like, what the heck are they doing now? If you live in Florida, or even if you don't live in Florida, you have to help fight this. Because if this bill goes through, think about what the ultra-processed food company has all the best active and outdoor brands for the super athletic stuff, like running gear for cruising up the trail. Woo! And the super athletic is stuffed, like fishing gear for chilling by the creek. Nice cast. If it is a pair of the push for higher reps, you got this.

5:15And golf balls price so you can afford to lose one. Or a few. Head to Sierra or Sierra.com for the brands you want at the prices that let you do it all. From athletic to athletic-ish, Sierra's got it. Beneves can get away with. The chemical companies are going to be able to get away with. They're protected against anyone criticizing them. Now this bill on the outside has the appearance that is just there to help support the farmers. But if you read between the lines, the law is designed to silence the critics. And once free speech to silence, public health is next. I mean, this is a pretty smart thing that these big companies are doing. If they can get this passed, they get so much protection against criticism. So when I was looking at this, I'm like, what is this playbook called? Well, it's actually called weaponized defamation law. Or another name for it is using lawsuits to silence criticism. So I think a lot of influencers, activists, scientists would literally be very quiet

6:16because the amount of money that you would be sued for would literally drain your resources. So if you have the same viewpoint I have, ultra-processed food is responsible for 80% of chronic disease. I highly recommend you click the link down below where you can actually sign off on a petition. If you live in Florida, you can call your local representative and complain. But we need to make a lot of noise right now because if this bill goes through, it's going to be devastating for our children, for their grandkids, and for us as well. So please, click the link down below and let's all work together to defeat this bill. This episode is brought to you by Athletic Brewing Company, no matter how you do game day. On the couch, in the crowd, or manning the snack table, Athletic Brewing fits right in. With a full lineup of non-alcoholic beer styles, you can enjoy bold flavors all game-long. No hangovers, no buzz, no subbing out for water in the second half. Stock the fridge for tip-off with a variety of non-alcoholic craft styles available at your local grocery store or online at AthleticBrewing.com.

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