How are polls taken? By the telephone? I never answer mine unless the number is familiar. I don't know what 'elites' mean, but I watch Countdown. I think of the people on Countdown as being much like me and I am not elite.
I agree that they would have kept selling it, people would eventually stopped buying it, but in the meantime, more people would have become ill or died from eating it.
I knew one person that had his own company. He was narcissistic and arrogant and would never accept criticism from anyone. All he could do was to be the boss. I'm sure not true of all but personality type has a lot to do with it I think.