The Plastic Detox & Behind The Scenes Of Big Food | Jason Karp

In 2001, Jason Karp was a 23-year-old finance professional in New York City who was told he would be fully blind by age 30 from a degenerative eye disease with no cure. Doctors dismissed his plan to try food and lifestyle changes as insane. Six months later, his vision had fully returned, and he remains in remission 26 years later. That experience turned Karp into one of the most influential behind-the-scenes figures in the clean food movement—founder of Human Co, co-founder of Hugh Chocolate, early investor in Oura Ring and Primal Kitchen, and the largest investor in True Food Kitchen. In this conversation with Alex Clark, Karp explains how big food works, why clean brands get bought by conglomerates, and what the "grass loophole" means for every American shopper.

The Grass Loophole and How Chemicals Enter Your Food

The "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) loophole allows food companies to self-affirm that new chemicals are safe without FDA approval. This means the same companies that want to use these chemicals can declare them harmless. Karp calls this a direct example of how "we have forgotten how to take care of each other." RFK Jr. has made closing this loophole part of his platform, arguing that conflicted companies should not be the ones deciding what is safe to put into the food supply.