11 companies that own almost everything you buy at the grocery store

[packman]

[Blecht]

1. I can't find ConAgra

I'm surprised that evil company didn't make the list.

[coti]

3. They contribute the ingredients to many of these junk products. nt

[yonder]

5. Or the other one either: Archer Daniels Midland

[Wellstone ruled]

27. And they are one of the largest

in the Grocery Industry.

[coti]

2. Almost all junk.

People forking most of their money over to these companies for food aren't treating themselves very well.

[marlakay]

36. What I was thinking

I couldn’t find my brands but I shop at Trader Joes and Co op.

Found a bunch of things my husband buys I was teasing him about it.

[yankeepants]

4. I saw two products that I occasionally buy

on that map of crap.

[Amishman]

20. Same, seems to be all sugar; soft drinks, candy, and sugar cereal

I don't but that shit. Sugar is not good for us

[DBoon]

6. Which mega agribusiness has cornered the market on broccoli?

Bulk whole grains? Is Sriracha sauce now produced by a multinational? Chobani yogurt?

A few of the listed brands may make their way to our shelves, but most of what we eat is not there.

[packman]

7. Glad for you - but, notice the title of the post

Agribusiness and monopolies on sauces and yogurt isn't the point of the post. Don't jump on something before reading the intent. I didn't say you could by-pass all the companies, go to your farmer's market and buy all the broccoli you want. Stock up on Sriracha sauce ( a mini-monopoly) and all the yogurt at your health food store.

But if you shop at a store, it is more likely you are getting a product from those 11 companies.

[DBoon]

8. title of post is " 11 companies that own almost everything you buy at the grocery store"

The list describes at most 20% of what I buy at the supermarket.

Which of these major companies sells the broccoli, mushrooms, and tomatoes I buy?

Which sells the eggs and Chobani yogurt? What about store branded meat and fish?

Almost everything I see on the list is snack or convenience food. Is "almost everything you buy at the grocery store" snack food and convenience items?

And the Vietnamese family that owns Sriracha can have the money. They deserve it.

[hedda_foil]

9. Well you're obviously extremely smart about what you eat but you see, this isn't about you.

It concerns the 95-99% of Americans who DON'T eat the way you do. So while you may be doing everything right, the vast majority of your fellow Americans may not have the time, money and/or information that you do.

[Mosby]

11. The list covers snacks, soda, candy and cereal

The real issue is why people eat and drink that shit.

I don't, and neither do a lot of people.

[llmart]

14. I don't either.

I can walk up and down the aisles in my nearest Kroger and there isn't anything I can't live without.

[DBoon]

16. 95% to 99%???

I don't have scientific data to refute this, but casual observation of others' grocery purchases leads me to believe it is much less than that.

[hedda_foil]

28. Where do you live and where do you buy your groceries?

[packman]

10. All I can say is ----

AND-

GOOD FOR YOU



Seems as if some on DU take everything, and believe everything, is about them. Well, they aren't. Take the post for what it is - Is there really a need to justify your food choices, or are you just that type?

[DBoon]

15. No it is not all about MY food choices

The post is misleading and sensationalistic. That fact remains regardless of what *I* might buy at the supermarket.

Your sarcastic reply is beside the point.

Your comment "Is there really a need to justify your food choices, or are you just that type" is insulting and uncalled for

[LanternWaste]

12. Seems you're confusing your own anecdotal evidence with data.

[Mosby]

13. Pakmans title of his post is not data, lol.

[Kaleva]

22. I shop at the stores and there isn't a single product listed that I buy

[onetexan]

17. Need to add "Grupo Bimbo" (aka Bimbo Bakeries) to the list

Main brands courtesy of Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimbo_Bakeries_USA :

Arnold – Producer of loaf bread primarily sold throughout the United States
Ball Park – Producer of buns & rolls
Bays - Producer of English muffins
Beefsteak – Producer of bread
Bimbo – Producing cakes and bread, found in major United States cities with large Hispanic and Hispanic-American populations
Boboli – Producer of ready-made pizza crusts
Brownberry – Producer of loaf bread primarily sold throughout the United States[20]
Colombo - Producer of sweet and sourdough bread products. Formerly Colombo Baking Company.
EarthGrains – Producer of loaf bread primarily sold throughout the United States
Entenmann's – Pastry baker in the United States
Eureka Baking Company – Producer of USDA organic loaf bread primarily sold throughout the United States
Francisco – Producer of bread and rolls
Freihofer's – Producer of bread and cakes most commonly found in upstate New York
Grandma Sycamore’s - Producer of homemade breads, based in Utah and found in the intermountain west area
J.J. Nissen – Producer of bread commonly found in New England
Marinela – Producer of Mexican cookies and pastry
Mrs. Baird's – A leading bakery primarily present in Texas and surrounding states
Old Country - Restaurant bread
Oroweat – Producer of loaf bread primarily sold throughout the United States
Sara Lee - North America Fresh Bakery unit only.
Stroehmann – Producer of loaf bread in the United States
Thomas' – Producer of English muffins and bagels
Tía Rosa – Producer of home-style bread, pastry, and tortillas

[miyazaki]

18. Pretty sure Kings Hawaiian is still family owned.

??

[onetexan]

19. My bad, i've fixed the posting. The bakeries & brand name breads were in the "see also" section.

That said, Bimbo still owns a whole lotta products we buy at the grocery stores.
Thanks!

[pwb]

21. Bimbo is a union shop here. Living wage jobs.

.

[miyazaki]

25. Ya, it's a money printing operation disguised as a bakery.

They make good rolls too.

[onetexan]

35. LOL yup the KH rolls can be addictive, and high in calories as well

90 to be exact, and i can't have just one if i indulge. Which is why i avoid buying them.

HEB has a knockoff product called ALOHA rolls: https://www.instacart.com/landing?product_id=19229416&retailer_id=45&region_id=468399243&utm_medium=sem_shopping&utm_source=instacart_google&utm_campaign=ad_demand_shopping_food_tx_austin_newengen&utm_content=accountid-8145171519_campaignid-1768391002_adgroupid-68940023236_device-c&gclid=CjwKCAiAu9vwBRAEEiwAzvjq-5wvPxobhUDrAmk6KlHp1S51pq43dYD-1r2xTr2s7rpwFdOX01WfRBoCZhEQAvD_BwE

Sarah Lee also has its own version.

[Xolodno]

24. Its interesting...

...that Bimbo originated in Mexico. Way back in college, took a field trip to Mexico (prior to NAFTA)...saw the Bimbo logo everywhere. Some of us joked, don't think they'll ever come to the USA, who wants to say they work for "Bimbo".

Surprise...surprise.

[onetexan]

37. here's a good short article on the unusual name

https://www.rewindandcapture.com/why-is-bimbo-called-bimbo/

[Blue_true]

31. They own some small "craft" bakeries also.

Their products are actually pretty good

[Ms. Toad]

23. Not almost everything I buy -

I see some foods I eat (yogurt & coffee - for example), but nothing I regularly buy.

[ZZenith]

26. Happy to say we don't buy a single thing on that list.

Not that hard to avoid, frankly.

[sl8]

29. I count 10.

1. PepsiCo
2. General Mills
3. Kellog's
4. Assc. British
5. Mondelez
6. Mars
7. Danone
8. Unilever
9. Coca-Cola
10. Nestle

Did I miss one?

[Ms. Toad]

40. Nope.

If you go back to the original 2014, I believe, Oxfam ariticle, it describes 10 companies (and how it is working with some of them to improve the quality of their impact on the world.

[sl8]

45. Thank you.

I did read a couple of pieces about the Oxfam article/project and the graphic in the OP seems to be from Oxfam.

I think there's a similar, but more recent, graphic floating around in the aether that does illustrate 11 top-level owners, but it doesn't appear to be from Oxfam. No Oxfam logo on the graphic and nothing on their website.

[GusBob]

30. Almost everything? Try almost nothing

Theres 5 items maybe
Half that shit I never heard of

[Blue_true]

32. It all boils down to scale.

When companies can buy millions of units of ingredients at a time, they usually end up dominating their competitors.

[jcmaine72]

33. Isn't capitalism grand?

How long before these eleven giants merge into one or two mega-titans and literally have us eating and drinking our own feces and urine while we pay exorbitant sums for the privilege?

[ret5hd]

51. Soylent Brown?

[smirkymonkey]

34. I saw very little on there that I buy. I don't eat many processed foods.

The only things I could find that I would buy are Twinings Tea, occassionally bottled waters or seltzer waters (when I am out and don't have my own bottle with me, otherwise use filtered tap), and the occasional pint of Haagen Dazs or European chocolate bars. Oh, and Altoids and mint gum every now and then. That's pretty much it.

[Kali]

38. kinda surprised it's that many

eleven - would have guessed even fewer. I don't buy much processed crap but I do like a coke or some chips or a candy bar once in a while.

[Duppers]

39. Counted 8 items we buy on the list

[Kaleva]

41. I've been unable to find any source that supports the OP's claim.

[packman]

42. 3 sec. search on Google

Guess one does want to or doesn't know how to search for information and would rather attack the poster--


https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/08/16/companies-that-control-the-worlds-food/14056133/

https://www.businessinsider.com/10-companies-control-the-food-industry-2016-9

[Kaleva]

43. Neither article supports the claim you made in the title of your OP

Look at the title of the Business Insider article

"These 10 companies control everything you buy"

https://www.businessinsider.com/10-companies-control-the-food-industry-2016-9

Compare that with the title of your OP:

"11 companies that own almost everything you buy at the grocery store"

Note the words that I placed in bold. They have different meanings.

"Control
verb (used with object), con·trolled, con·trol·ling.
to exercise restraint or direction over; dominate; command:"

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/control

"Own

verb (used with object)
to have or hold as one's own; possess:"

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/own?s=t

Another thing that appears you have overlooked is the web address of the Business Insider article. Note that it says "10-companies-control-the-food-industry". If you had made that the title of your OP, I don't think anyone here would have disagreed with you.

[packman]

44. Since you insist on percision and are rather strict about things like word choices -

https://wikibuy.com/blog/11-companies-that-own-everything-904b28425120


BTW - I didn't like, nor care for , your parsing of my post.

11-
Companies-
Own (Which implies control)
Everything (Hyperbole here, but in context)

Christ, almighty, some people

[NCProgressive]

47. No - own and control are different things

A distributor doesn't own the brand nor the manufacturing but controls where and how it will be sold.

Sort of like a landlord owns the house but the tenant is in control as to who is let in, what temperature to set the thermostat and what meals are cooked inside.

[packman]

48. No visitors after 10 P.M, locked thermostats, No loud music, no pictures on walls,

If you think a tenant "controls" anything in a house or apartment owned by another person--

for you

[Bradshaw3]

52. Oh good grief.

Nitpick much?

[NCProgressive]

46. How come Proctor and Gamble is not there?

They have dozens of brands in detergents, household cleaners, fabric softeners etc.

[packman]

49. Indeed they do - but, not a food company as far as I can see

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Procter_%26_Gamble_brands

[NCProgressive]

50. Your OP said "Almost everything we buy in the supermarkets"

Didn't specify "food"

[packman]

56. Sigh---

In retrospect my OP title should have been:

11 (maybe one or two more, maybe one or two less) companies (could be monopolies, small business, or some other manufactures, disturbers of goods) that own ( maybe "own", maybe "control" , maybe just exist and trying to make a buck) almost (not everything, just some things) everything (Well, not EVERYTHING - just a few to some, a lot to others) you ( not you you, but the other guy you) buy ( some do some don't, some feel need to avoid those items given in the post) at the grocery store (Could be you shop there, but some like shopping at their local green mart or health food store , or local corner mart),

There - have I covered enough bases to satisfy all.

Probably not. NEVER , NEVER had I had the need in all the years of posting at DU to explain - what I thought - was a simple post headline. Frankly disappointed in several members critiques of same. Talk about nit-picking.

[NCProgressive]

57. Congratulations!

[Bradshaw3]

53. Some people just don't want to hear there are oligopolies in America

There are, of course, in every major industry. Now why there is such a reaction to the news is another question.

[Recursion]

54. How many should there be? (nt)

[IcyPeas]

55. bottled water too

Nestle, Danone and CocaCola all in the bottled water business.