Big Food Monopolies Dominating Supermarket Shelves

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The Biggest Food Monopolies

Can’t decide between two brands at the grocery store? Maybe you’re torn between getting your child the snack or beverage they’re convinced is cool, or something healthier, since you’re reluctant to kick more cash to another big corporation. Turns out, purchasing the healthier item might be feeding the same pot of cash.

Big corporations may own multiple food companies and brands—some may even sell competing products. And some food monopolies may own what you thought was an all-American, mom-and-pop brand.

Photo: David Young-Wolff/Getty Images

PepsiCo

Have you ever wondered why Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC have joint stores? PepsiCo owns them all. The soft-drink maker is also behind the unhealthy union of Taco Bell, Mountain Dew and Doritos. With all the artificially sweetened breakfast bombs and frozen meat driving $6.4 billion in profits last year, you might not suspect that PepsiCo also owns Naked Juice and Quaker Oatmeal.

Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Unilever

Unilever isn’t a household name in America, but the British giant has long asked us what we would do for a Klondike Bar. Skippy peanut butter, Good Humor and personal care products (like Axe) helped them rake in $5.9 billion in 2012 profits. Slim-Fast and Lipton Tea also fuel the empire, and despite all we’ve been lead to believe about America’s Favorite Ice Cream (We’re talking to you, Colbert), Ben and Jerry’s is also a subsidiary. The corporation also has ties to the Marine Stewardship Council.

Photo: kniemla/Creative Commons via Flickr

General Mills

A familiar name in the cereal aisle, the makers of Lucky Charms and Cheerios pulled in $1.8 billion in profits last year. The Fortune 500 company also owns Betty Crocker and the healthier-seeming Green Giant, Val Nature and Yoplait Yogurt.

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Kellogg’s

Most recognizable as the cereal company behind Corn Flakes, Kellogg’s also owns Nutri-Grain and Hamburger Helper. The $1.2 billion in profits the corporation earned in 2012 was bolstered by sales of Kashi, Gardenburger, Morningstar Farms and Bear Naked products

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Kraft

The Kraft food empire posted an impressive profit of $3.5 billion in 2012.

Known mainly for cheese, Oreos, Wheat Thins and other snack foods, Kraft gave us the blue-box blues when it bought veggie burger giant Boca Foods. The company also purchased Tribe Mediterranean Foods, maker of all-natural hummus.

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Nestlé

How many unsuspecting parents know their Gerber baby is really a Nestlé baby? The owner of the iconic baby-food company has also softened its corporate image by moving into healthy-sounding drinks, purchasing classy carbonated water brands Perrier and San Pellegrino. It also owns Power Bar. These savvy purchases have kept Nestlé’s profits high: The candy giant claimed $12 billion in profits last year.

Photo: Howard Lake/Creative Commons via Flickr

Coca-Cola

The soda giant has survived the public trend of cutting down on sugary drinks by acquiring healthier-sounding beverages. Coca-Cola counts Smart Water and Vitamin Water as part of its beverage arsenal, and has owned natural juice drink Odwalla since 2001. It’s no surprise Coca-Cola claimed $8.6 billion in profits last year.

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Andrew Freeman is a California native with a degree in history from UCLA. He’s covered a wide range of topics for TakePart, but is particularly interested in politics and policy. Email Andrew |@natureofdabeast | TakePart.com

Food Monopolies Dominate the Supermarket Shelves—Are They in Your Kitchen Too?

The Biggest Food Monopolies

Photo: David Young-Wolff/Getty Images

PepsiCo

Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Unilever

Photo: kniemla/Creative Commons via Flickr

General Mills

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Kellogg’s

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Kraft

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Nestlé

Photo: Howard Lake/Creative Commons via Flickr

Coca-Cola

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

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