An hour or so into the film, my friend Sara whispered to me, "Did you know Naked juice is owned by Pepsi?" WAAAHHH??? There go my do-gooder feelings when I pop open one of those 4 dollar, pre-bottled concoctions. So that spurred us to whip out our computers and look up other "organic" companies that are in fact owned by corporations. We found some great info here:
http://simplifymyfoodchoices.com/organic-natural-brands.html.
Here are the highlights of what I found:
Naked juice and Quaker Oats are owned by Pepsi
Odwalla juice and Glaceau bottled water are owned by Coca Cola
Burt’s Bees is owned by Clorox (whhhyyyyyy)
Tom’s of Maine is owned by Colgate
Stonyfield Farms is owned by Dannon
Horizon is owned by Dean’s Milk (kill me now)
Kashi and Morningstar Farms are owned by Kellogg’s
Back to Nature and Boca are owned by Kraft
Cascadian Farms and Larabar are owned by General Mills
Green and Black’s is owned by Schweppes
Dagoba is owned by Hershey
The Body Shop is owned by L’Oreal/Nestle (seriously, what am I going to buy now?)
This information makes me feel several things, including: deceived, dumb, misinformed, and naive. My parents instilled in me an appreciation for wholesome foods and products, and they specifically (and graciously) give me extra money so that I can have enough money to buy organic foods and shop at co-ops and other stores that supposedly support healthful food and have the same ideals that I do. This extra money was seen as a preventative investment in my health, as I will always look at healthy food choices. Along with trying to make conscious decisions regarding nutrition, I also try to support businesses that are fair-trade, local, and make products with quality ingredients and without chemicals.
As much as I can say I wanted to do these things, the truth of the matter is that I have been paying higher prices to buy products that support Clorox, Colgate, Kraft, and L'Oreal. That makes me feel sick. I make myself feel special for trying to make conscious decisions, but I feel like the corporate market manipulates people into supporting what they don't believe in. I admit, when I need pizza rolls at 3 am, I make the trek to Wal-mart. I am a college student, not God. I feel small twinges of guilt for these purchases, but I also have certain beliefs that I stick to, and I am passionate about. I will not buy Clorox products because of the chemicals they use. In fact, two years ago I got in a fight with my friend about her use of Clorox wipes (shout out to Katie D. xoxo). And yet when I go shopping, I feel good about myself and my choices when I buy Burt's Bees products. I encourage people to use them. I am pleased when I look at the ingredients in their lip balm. Not only do I feel deceived, I feel like a fool for any positive feelings I might have had for buying what I thought were wholesome products. I believe Clorox does not want people to know that they own Burt's Bees because so many people love to use their products!
Today has been a personal lesson that people need to continuously educated themselves about what they are putting on and in their body. There is no end to this education. You can't eventually know all the good products and all the bad, because corporations are constantly changing, evolving, and educating themselves on what I want, and how to get me to buy it. The market is always changing. Corporations are born, consolidated, and dispersed all the time. I want to make educated purchases, and I want to directly and indirectly support companies that make quality products and do positive things in our communities. I think I need to officially re-commit to that.
Unfortunately, it genuinely seems like any product that is popular, or mass-produced, is most likely owned by a big corporation. I don't think all corporations are bad. For example, it seems like Newman's Own, which is relatively main stream, still does positive things for charities. Please tell me if you've heard otherwise! And just because, for example, Burt's Bees is owned by Clorox, it doesn't mean that all of a sudden there is bleach in our chapstick. But for me, it means that spending the $1.99 on my chapstick is donating that money to a corporation that produces other products with dangerous chemicals that put people and the environment in danger. Thus, that's what I'm supporting. Even if Horizon dairy farms don't use hormones in their cows, buying their milk invests in Dean's Dairy Company, which does use hormones in their cows. If I buy Horizon, I support Dean. And that's wrong. People should know who they are supporting.
I need to remind myself that every purchase is like a small donation to a cause. And there are many causes that I do not, and will not support.
To end, I want to use this blog post to reach out to my friends and family and ask you all to please tell me and anyone else who might be interested if there are any other "natural" companies owned by corporations! Also, given that I now have nowhere to shop and can officially buy none of the products that I loved, please tell me about brands that sell quality beauty products and wholesome snacks. Help me out!!!
Love,
Julia
Julia
PS Does anyone have any information about Hain Celestial? It's a corporation that owns a lot of beauty product companies that I like: Alba, Jason, Avalon, etc...
Julia~ This is just a thought but is it possible that the organically oriented companies just couldn't survive without the support of a larger company to get it off the ground? I am an optimist but hope that as more people support natural products, the larger corporation would invest in the more natural products and eventually cease to produce the chemically laden 'best sellers'. Of course, that can only happen if people stop buying those products in large numbers. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteLove you,
Sue
Hi Aunt Sue! Thanks for the comment! I think you are optimistic, and I’m glad you are. It's refreshing to see a more positive outlook. Mostly, I feel misinformed and naive because I was not supporting who I thought I was, but at the end of the day, I'm glad I know. It makes me hate the system, and while I think your point is realistic and is hopefully what will happen, the small amount of research that I did today inspires me to do my best to avoid supporting corporations who abuse the environment or animals for any of their products and support smaller companies instead. Plus that can cut down on transportation fossil fuels, and sometimes means higher quality ingredients. There's something about India that is very inspiring... it's making me want to make a lot of changes in how I choose to live my life :)
ReplyDeleteNice post nd good point, Sue. Although large corporations such as the ones listed in the post are well-known for exploiting workers and our Mother Earth, it is essential that we allow them the freedom to change and grow into healthier, more conscious operations. I know a little bit about Cascadian Farms... apparently, it was the first major organic brand name in the USA-- they produce and sell granola bars and cereals mostly. Even though they are owned by a large corporation doesn't discount the products sold by CF. As far as I know, all of the products labeled "Organic" still meet the USDA standards (which are not SO bad when compared with conventional agriculture).
ReplyDeleteThe main thing is to eat what feels good.. you say you feel good when you buy things with the Organic label. Good! The organic label is a step in the 'right direction'. For those who feel a loving connection with the planet, there is always freedom to consume respectfully and responsibly.
You say 'you can never be fully educated about all the products out there'.. but you CAN be so in touch with your body and its sustenance that you DO KNOW what's up. You CAN be aware of every little detail that supports your body. We are Homo sapiens-- we need love, fruits, vegetables, water, clothing, and shelter. Every beauty product we buy, every power bar, every one of these things is beyond necessity. And just because I say 'necessity' doesn't mean life isn't radiant and beautiful...
The divinity is in the ordinary. Isn't it a wonder that we live breath, a garden, and rivers continue supporting? I give thanks for life that continues giving... The Mother is more powerful than any pollution from any corporation-- We cannot destroy Life. Mama is eternal.
Peace & Love,
Matt
I'm going to go ahead and jump on the "bright side" bandwagon with this: even if you are supporting large corporations, you're still choosing to buy products that are good for the environment and good for your body. Corporations, which are basically large money-making machines, will hopefully look at those sales and think, "Hm, people really seem to be moving towards these good-for-you-good-for-Earth products. We should make more of them. That means we'll have to cut back on our budget for other projects, and give more to this area that's earning us so much money." I get where you're coming from, but 1. don't beat yourself up and 2. you're still supporting organics and natural foods, period, because that's what you're buying. I agree with Sue - it's very likely that these small companies wouldn't be able to deliver their products nation-wide without the help of a large corp. So, you're still supporting the good cause, and hopefully showing corporations that the trend is toward green and fresh and organic.
ReplyDeleteOk, stop reading my comment, go eat some curry.
Love,
Katie D. (also, to be fair, I switched to the wipes that are environmentally friendly after our fight. And I still don't use them on the counters.)