You're being conned! In spite of the best efforts of Better Business Bureaus, consumer protection agencies, and Ralph Nader, big business is putting one over on you—economically, politically, and ecologically. With keen determination and perception, David Sanford peers behind the posh public relations offices into the back rooms where policies are made, into the minds that decide what the consumer will buy, how much it will cost, and how it will be packaged and publicized.

Do the presidents of General Mills and Pillsbury eat their own pre-packaged macaroni-and-cheese and canned hollandaise sauce? "Absurd!" declares Sanford, and he discloses the profit motivation behind such seemingly public-oriented products as vitamin additives and "add-your-own-egg" mixes. From children's toys to "harmless" drugs, Sanford shows how big business plays on public weaknesses, current fads, and the consumer's lack of precise information in order to sell its products.