The map that shows how 10 mega-companies control everything you buy

[yoyoman]

^ Yes and the food map explains why everything tastes the same.

 

[JemR]

Am I the only one who doesn't see what all the fuss is about? My reasoning is that there's still a lot of competition between these 'big players', no-one holds a monopoly over the market.

I agree. Is the word "control" in thread title implying they are a cartel?

 

[jenniewhitman]

wow. Never thought there was a map like this. A real eye opener

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

I just went through the entire map in detail (twice) and found only six items that our household purchases.

Allmost all of our groceries are wild / locally-produced / organic (& independent producers) and virtually all of our meals are made from scratch.

My point being, there is a very viable alternative to processed foods & mass-marketed consumer products.

Excellent point Kestrel.

The ten mega-companies only control what they sell. I control what I buy.

~ Chance

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Consolidation of the media explains why when you read news about an event you see practically the same article posted word for word on many different news sites.

Remember when you first heard the word, gravitas? Then you heard it over and over and over again for the next few weeks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0LCTl3o2kY :shakehead :fail:

~ Chance

 

[orbital]

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[EZO]

I just went through the entire map in detail (twice) and found only six items that our household purchases. That calculates to 6 / 293 = ~2%.

• Coke
• Wrigleys' Extra gum
• Ivory soap
• Sun diswashing detergent
• Purina cat food
• Comet cleaner

Allmost all of our groceries are wild / locally-produced / organic (& independent producers) and virtually all of our meals are made from scratch.

My point being, there is a very viable alternative to processed foods & mass-marketed consumer products.

What is ironic is that I have a modest long-term investment in Berkshire Hathaway which has done quite well by owning significant amounts of some of the posted brands/companies.


"The silence of the yams" :candle:
Michael Pollan

Kestrel, I live in the Connecticut River Valley of Vermont which is very similar to the Willamette Valley of Oregon. My lifestyle is similar to yours. I grow much of my own organic food or buy it and other goods locally from independent producers or from our local food COOP. There is a very strong Locavore movement here. But most people live in more urban environments where the "luxury" of this lifestyle is unavailable beyond perhaps a few farmer's markets and the "viable alternatives" you speak of are not so easy for everyone to come by. Unless there is a mass change in consciousness and people start demanding other choices, they will buy what is easily available to them. This is partly why the control of the media and control over consumer goods go hand in hand as it makes such change that much harder to come by.

More importantly, it is important to understand that the map Norm posted to start this thread shows only the tiniest snippet of the number of products these mega-corporations produce and the literally thousands of companies they control. There is a very high likelihood that there are far more than six products your household buys that are from these mega-companies than you realize. These mega-corporations have been buying up hundreds and hundreds of smaller producers. World-wide, it is in the thousands. Proctor and Gamble, for example owns an enormous array of subsidiaries, both big and small all over the world in this fashion. Here is a partial list. Nevertheless, these corporations know what their reputations are and so many of the companies they own are managed in such a way so that you would only know who owns them if you do some digging. Beyond that, many people don't know that Proctor & Gamble has a huge media component (Proctor & Gamble Entertainment) that has been around for the last 75 years and they are the producers of such names as The People's Choice Awards and just about every soap opera you've ever heard of.

There are many examples of products you might not realize are produced by companies that are hidden subsidiaries of mega-corporations.

For years, I've been buying Cascadian Farms organic frozen fruit at our local food Coop which comes from near your neck of the woods up in Washington state. Recently I was shocked to learn that they are owned by General Mills Corporation. If you go to their lovely website you would never ever know that but there you can learn about Muir Glen Organics and other companies in the Small Planet Foods family.....but you won't find out on the Cascadian Farms website that all of them are really part of General Mills Corporation. Corporations like this know that putting their name on any company offering "organic" or "Small Planet" in their company profile would be the kiss of death.

Here in my neck of the woods I live near the town of Brattleboro, home to a beloved homegrown company by the name of New Chapter that produces a well known line of food based herbal and vitamin supplements. Zyflamend is probably their most popular product. This is a small community and the founder/CEO, Paul Schulick and wife are often seen at the local food COOP along with all our other neighbors and I've had a nice chat with him a couple of times standing in the vitamin isle and waiting in line. We've all watched this firm grow over the years into a major company. They employ many people and I hear it is a nice place to work. Much to everyone's shock in March of 2012, Proctor and Gamble came along and bought them out but just like Cascadian Farms Organic you would never know it from the outward appearance of the company locally, or by visiting their website. Apparently, Proctor & Gamble is making a big foray into the vitamin and supplement field and is aggressively acquiring properties but when you buy products from these companies in the future you will probably not be aware that you are really a customer of Proctor & Gamble.

There are countless other examples of everyday products, more and more of them natural and organic in nature, produced by companies wholly owned by the mega-corp conglomerates on the "Map" that are not at all obvious.

These above are only two examples.

Edit: Jeez, How could I forget? Our own Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, started in a renovated gas station in downtown Burlington Vermont is now part of Unilever, the world's third-largest consumer goods company. As might be expected at this point, if you go to the "Our History" page of Ben & Jerry's web site, or their "Company Timeline" there is no mention of the buyout by Unilever.

 

[orbital]

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I live in an area with alot of farming and ranching,, it's all around me.
These folks are self sustaining, resourceful & can fix anything in brutal conditions.

Before anyone has some smart-*** comment about farmers, they better take one full step back


___________________________________________________________^

 

[EZO]

Hey, it seems there's a Mega Conglomerate that got left off the map! Two million wholly owned subsidiaries, governmental bodies and healthcare centers!

 

[orbital]

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..continuing less options control