Who Owns Organic?

31 August 2007

Looking at the labels of many well known organic brands, you'd have no idea they were owned by corporate giants. Dr. Phil Howard created the charts below to show who owns what. He explains, "Although the owner of an organic food company told me 'consumers don't care' about this trend, hiding their corporate ownership suggests otherwise."

Information Graphics courtesy Phil Howard, Ph.D.

Changes since June 2009 include (1) Coca-Cola fully acquiring Honest Tea in March 2011; (2) Nestle's acquisitions of Cadbury (and Green & Black's) in January, 2010, and Sweet Leaf Tea in May, 2011; (3) Sara Lee's acquisition of Aidell's Sausage for $87 million in May, 2011.

Note that most of the acquisitions occurred between December, 1997, the date USDA published the first draft of the proposed national organic standards, and October 2002, the date the national organic standards were implemented.