Event

Event Overview

John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods, and Bruce Friedrich, Executive Director of The Good Food Institute, will debate together on the resolution, “Eating Meat is Neither Ethical Nor Healthy.” Bruce and John will take the affirmative and two Harvard debaters – Dhruva Bhat (2017), and Danny DuBois (2018) – will argue the negative. The event will be followed by a Q&A with John and Bruce.

Dhruva Bhat is a junior studying economics and originally from Chennai, India. Danny DeBois is a sophomore studying Social Studies and originally from Harrison, NY. Both Dhruva and Danny are active members with Harvard College Debating Union.

Bruce Friedrich is the executive director of The Good Food Institute, which focuses on disputing animal agriculture by promoting plant-based and cultured alternatives. Bruce graduated magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from the Georgetown University Law Center, and also holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Bruce has held leadership roles for the past two decades at top non-profit organizations working against animal agriculture.

John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, has led the natural and organic grocer to a $15 billion Fortune 500 company with more than 435 stores and 91,000 team members in three countries. While devoting his career to helping shoppers satisfy their lifestyle needs with quality natural and organic foods, Mackey has also focused on building a more conscious way of doing business. Mackey has been recognized as one of Fortune’s “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year Overall Winner for the United States,” Institutional Investor’s “Best CEO in America,” Barron’s “World’s Best CEO,” MarketWatch’s “CEO of the Year,” Fortune’s “Businessperson of the Year,” and Esquire’s “Most Inspiring CEO.”

Sponsored by Effective Altruism at Harvard (HCEA and HUEA SG), Harvard’s Safra Center for Ethics, and The Good Food Institute.