Reddit mentions of Big Secrets

Yes, and it has been done. For example, the Merory formulation is said to be very close to the actual composition of Coca Cola- for which there have been a number of reconstructions.

Poundstone discusses the formulation for KFC in his Big Secrets book, and I think it's his Bigger Secrets that discusses Coke's formulation.

Due to some "capture" of an employee early in the history of the respective companies, Pepsi almost certainly knows the precise formulation for Coke. Otherwise, it is possible to chemically and microscopically reverse-engineer the formulation of many food products. For example, the "secret recipe" for KFC can be examined by microscope and Fourier-transform infrared microscopy to determine the composition of individual particles. (The guys at McCrone are said to be some of the best when it comes to microscopy; old man McCrone used to have its microscopists study samples from anything from elephant dung to beach sand in order to broaden their knowledge base.)

Chemical analysis using chromatography can help determine unknowns (using mass spec) and deformulate products so knockoffs can be produced in order to determine similarities to existing products.

Also note that many companies have labs to determine if knockoff products violate any patents. My understanding is that Procter and Gamble has a vast analytical lab to do just that. I read an article in the Wall Street Journal a few years back noting the major ink producers for bubblejet printers did the same thing.

Additionally many people have sent coca cola off for independent testing and published their findings.

Saying what's in it doesn't give you the recipe.

I have this book in my bathroom still to this day from back when I was a teen where the author did just that with coca cola, KFC, and other secret recipes.

Big Secrets pubished back in 1983

And agree with your self regulation sentiment, its on us to demand disclosure in the industry for our own safety and for the future of regulations applied to the vaping industry (which will be harsher if we allow bad actors to blemish the industry for the sake of a quick Buck)

It's not really important that it be guarded, but that does create hype about Coca Cola that translates into publicity. It would not make much difference if someone stole the recipe, since it is already effectively a matter of public record.

The book "Big Secrets" by William Poundstone, has a really great discussion about various secret recipes, along with history. It's a well-written, engaging book that I'd highly recommend.

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Secrets-William-Poundstone/dp/0688048307

William Poundstone's "Big Secrets." It only has one chapter on numbers stations, but it's damn good and the chapters on other topics are damn good, too.

In Big Secrets, William Poundstone claims to have obtained a sample and had it analyzed; and that it was found to contain flour, salt, black pepper, and MSG.

Edit: clarity and spelling

Is this the book you are talking about?