Chef Andrew Gruel is sounding the alarm about America’s food system—and he isn’t holding back. Speaking on “The Alex Marlow Show,” the founder of the MAHA movement argued that the same food industry practices he’s been warning about for more than a decade are now causing a full-blown health crisis.

Gruel recalled how his calls for healthier, more transparent food choices once drew applause from the very same people now criticizing him. “All the stuff I’ve been saying with this MAHA movement are all the things that I was preaching back in 2009, 2012,” he explained. “All the people celebrating me were all the same people who hate me now, the same people who are attacking me now.”

The chef has long accused “Big Food” corporations of prioritizing profit over public health, flooding shelves with heavily processed, chemically loaded products while disguising them with clever marketing. He argues that these companies are creating dependency on unhealthy food while pretending to offer “healthy” alternatives that are anything but.

For Gruel, the fight isn’t just about food—it’s about power. He says that the more Americans rely on processed, manufactured meals, the more influence large corporations and government regulators have over what families consume. By contrast, cooking at home with whole ingredients reduces that control and gives people freedom over their health.

The MAHA movement, which stands for “Make America Healthy Again,” is his answer to what he sees as a national emergency. Gruel has warned that skyrocketing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other preventable diseases are not just about lifestyle choices but are being driven by an industrial food system designed to keep people sick. He believes breaking away from that system is the only way to reverse America’s health decline.

Critics have attacked Gruel for what they describe as alarmist rhetoric, but he says the backlash proves he’s hitting a nerve. According to him, it’s no accident that powerful forces are trying to silence voices like his—because exposing the truth threatens billions of dollars tied up in processed food, pharmaceuticals, and government subsidies.

The chef argues that ordinary Americans aren’t powerless. By choosing locally sourced foods, preparing meals at home, and avoiding corporate “junk science” diets, he says people can take back control of their well-being. It won’t be easy, he admits, but change begins with awareness—and refusing to buy into the myth that convenience should come before health.

On the podcast, Gruel emphasized that the message isn’t political. Whether left, right, or center, everyone suffers when the food supply is compromised. But he added that those who profit from unhealthy systems often seek to turn critics into political targets, hoping to discredit them rather than confront the truth.

Gruel’s warning comes at a time when trust in America’s health institutions is at an all-time low. From pharmaceutical companies to government agencies, skepticism has only grown since the pandemic. He insists the same skepticism should apply to what we eat every day.

In the end, his advice is simple: stop letting Big Food dictate your choices. Cook at home, know where your food comes from, and don’t believe every “healthy” label slapped on a package. “If you want to fight back,” he said, “the most powerful thing you can do is take control of your plate.”

At a moment when Americans are grappling with both rising healthcare costs and worsening health outcomes, Gruel’s message is bound to resonate. Whether people agree with his approach or not, the chef has made one thing clear: the stakes are nothing less than the nation’s long-term health and independence.