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> companies I wish I could easily boycott, Nestle comes to mind, and then there is Sinclair Sorry if this question seems presumptive, but isn't it actually ext

> companies I wish I could easily boycott, Nestle comes to mind, and then there is Sinclair Sorry if this question seems presumptive, but isn't it actually extremely easy to boycott both of these companies? I would be surprised to learn I have consumed any of their products in the past year, and I haven't even been deliberately trying to boycott either of them. (I live in the United States, but I don't buy bottled water, candy, or watch local television.)

toofy 5y ago
Nestle products are titled under 2000 different brand names. For instance, cheerios, golden grahams, digiorno pizza, jacks pizza, lean cuisine, gerber, maybeline makeup brands, some shampoo brands, etc… It’s definitely possible, but it’s a rabbit hole and isn’t as easy as “i won’t buy nestle hot chocolate.” Honestly, I understand the can of worms this might open, but a part of me thinks the parent company name should have to be on all products–transparency so we have something closer to information symmetry. It’s more difficult than I think it should be to buy ethically. We hear all the time “If you don’t like what a company is doing, then vote with your dollars.” But then we see how many companies have a multi-tier web of subsidiaries which can sometimes feel like they’re obfuscating intentionally. I don’t mean to imply they’re all intentionally obfuscating but it sure feels like that sometimes.
- bscphil 5y ago
  Yeah, fair enough, I can see it being hard for most people to bin Nestle (though not Sinclair?). My response to Nestle was a "me personally" thing which probably doesn't apply to most other people - I don't really buy branded junk food, almost everything I eat I prepare myself from fresh ingredients. I read through the Wikipedia list [1] and didn't see any brands I've purchased this year. But you're quite right that I was wrongly exaggerating by saying it was easy to boycott Nestle. I should have just emphasized that it's possible to boycott Nestle (if you know what the subsidiaries are), and easy (I think?) to boycott Sinclair. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nestl%C3%A9_brands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nestl%C3%A9_brands
  - mike_d 5y ago
    > everything I eat I prepare myself from fresh ingredients Nestle owns a lot of brands in the "ingredients" space too, unless you mean you are making everything from scratch. Buitoni pasta, Maggi bullions and soup bases, Carnation condensed and powdered milks, and Garden Burger meat alternatives are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
    - Spivak 5y ago
      Carnation has been the most annoying for me to boycott because at my grocery store there is no other options for evaporated milk, dulce de leche, and malted milk powder.
  - shrikant 5y ago
    I just went through the entire list of brands on that page and realised I'd been boycotting Nestle as well this last year or so, only without my knowledge. (I'm peripherally aware that they're considered "evil", but haven't given too much conscious thought w.r.t my own actions, and so haven't taken a position on whether I'm "boycotting" Nestle producsts or not.) I'm similar to you -- make most of my own meals and don't really consume snack food and drink. Even all of the "prepared ingredient" type stuff that I buy (dried pasta, sauces) tend to be non-Nestle brands, so I really have to wonder if it's a lack of imagination that prompts people to claim that it's hard to avoid Nestle. Of course, I'm in the UK (London) and not the USA, so maybe it's different? But I have a hard time understanding why it would be. Edited to add: I also have a recent infant, to whom I've (again, without even trying) avoided feeding any Nestle products.
  - kelnos 5y ago
    I was doing really well until I saw on that list that they own Purina, which is what we feed our cats. It's a shame, as several veterinarians I've talked to have said they believe Purina (Pro Plan/ONE) to be some of the best stuff out there for cats.
    - vanattab 5y ago
      ..from the vet sponsored by Purina... Purina pet food is trash.
- ernesth 5y ago
  > Nestle products are titled under 2000 different brand names. For instance, [...] maybeline makeup brands Isn't Maybelline a subsidiary of L'oréal rather than Nestlé?
  - quicklime 5y ago
    Yes but Nestlé owns a big chunk of L’Oréal: https://www.nestle.com/ask-nestle/our-company/answers/nature-of-nestles-relationship-with-loreal https://www.nestle.com/ask-nestle/our-company/answers/nature...
  - TeMPOraL 5y ago
    There are layers to this. Like e.g. the baby formula we've been buying turned out to be a brand of a brand of Danone.
Wowfunhappy 5y ago
What did Nestle do? (I actively seek out their chocolate, it’s better than Hershey’s...)
- SamoyedFurFluff 5y ago
  The CEO famously criticized the notion that water is a human right, so I hope that helps illustrate how the company behaves.
  - cestith 5y ago
    Not only that, but that statement was in response to making deals to buy up water several places, taking more than they bought, leaving some towns without a local water supply, bottling it up, and then selling the bottles to the locals who no longer have safe or sufficient tap or well water. They also did a huge media blitz in poorer countries to convince mothers that their formula was far superior to breast milk.
    - nucleardog 5y ago
      Media blitz is really selling them short. They’d give new mothers samples of formula and tell them it’s healthier and safer for their babies. Just enough that by the time it ran out the mother’s milk hadn’t come in and breastfeeding would be extremely difficult or impossible to start. Then start charging for formula. Similar tactics to drug dealers, but most drug dealers I’ve dealt with had more of a social conscience than that.
      - spacemanmatt 5y ago
        Every drug dealer I've met is a part of the community they work in. Can't say that about any of the global corps.

toofy 5y ago

Nestle products are titled under 2000 different brand names. For instance, cheerios, golden grahams, digiorno pizza, jacks pizza, lean cuisine, gerber, maybeline makeup brands, some shampoo brands, etc… It’s definitely possible, but it’s a rabbit hole and isn’t as easy as “i won’t buy nestle hot chocolate.” Honestly, I understand the can of worms this might open, but a part of me thinks the parent company name should have to be on all products–transparency so we have something closer to information symmetry. It’s more difficult than I think it should be to buy ethically. We hear all the time “If you don’t like what a company is doing, then vote with your dollars.” But then we see how many companies have a multi-tier web of subsidiaries which can sometimes feel like they’re obfuscating intentionally. I don’t mean to imply they’re all intentionally obfuscating but it sure feels like that sometimes.

bscphil 5y ago
Yeah, fair enough, I can see it being hard for most people to bin Nestle (though not Sinclair?). My response to Nestle was a "me personally" thing which probably doesn't apply to most other people - I don't really buy branded junk food, almost everything I eat I prepare myself from fresh ingredients. I read through the Wikipedia list [1] and didn't see any brands I've purchased this year. But you're quite right that I was wrongly exaggerating by saying it was easy to boycott Nestle. I should have just emphasized that it's possible to boycott Nestle (if you know what the subsidiaries are), and easy (I think?) to boycott Sinclair. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nestl%C3%A9_brands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nestl%C3%A9_brands
- mike_d 5y ago
  > everything I eat I prepare myself from fresh ingredients Nestle owns a lot of brands in the "ingredients" space too, unless you mean you are making everything from scratch. Buitoni pasta, Maggi bullions and soup bases, Carnation condensed and powdered milks, and Garden Burger meat alternatives are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
  - Spivak 5y ago
    Carnation has been the most annoying for me to boycott because at my grocery store there is no other options for evaporated milk, dulce de leche, and malted milk powder.
- shrikant 5y ago
  I just went through the entire list of brands on that page and realised I'd been boycotting Nestle as well this last year or so, only without my knowledge. (I'm peripherally aware that they're considered "evil", but haven't given too much conscious thought w.r.t my own actions, and so haven't taken a position on whether I'm "boycotting" Nestle producsts or not.) I'm similar to you -- make most of my own meals and don't really consume snack food and drink. Even all of the "prepared ingredient" type stuff that I buy (dried pasta, sauces) tend to be non-Nestle brands, so I really have to wonder if it's a lack of imagination that prompts people to claim that it's hard to avoid Nestle. Of course, I'm in the UK (London) and not the USA, so maybe it's different? But I have a hard time understanding why it would be. Edited to add: I also have a recent infant, to whom I've (again, without even trying) avoided feeding any Nestle products.
- kelnos 5y ago
  I was doing really well until I saw on that list that they own Purina, which is what we feed our cats. It's a shame, as several veterinarians I've talked to have said they believe Purina (Pro Plan/ONE) to be some of the best stuff out there for cats.
  - vanattab 5y ago
    ..from the vet sponsored by Purina... Purina pet food is trash.
ernesth 5y ago
> Nestle products are titled under 2000 different brand names. For instance, [...] maybeline makeup brands Isn't Maybelline a subsidiary of L'oréal rather than Nestlé?
- quicklime 5y ago
  Yes but Nestlé owns a big chunk of L’Oréal: https://www.nestle.com/ask-nestle/our-company/answers/nature-of-nestles-relationship-with-loreal https://www.nestle.com/ask-nestle/our-company/answers/nature...
- TeMPOraL 5y ago
  There are layers to this. Like e.g. the baby formula we've been buying turned out to be a brand of a brand of Danone.

Wowfunhappy 5y ago

What did Nestle do? (I actively seek out their chocolate, it’s better than Hershey’s...)

SamoyedFurFluff 5y ago
The CEO famously criticized the notion that water is a human right, so I hope that helps illustrate how the company behaves.
- cestith 5y ago
  Not only that, but that statement was in response to making deals to buy up water several places, taking more than they bought, leaving some towns without a local water supply, bottling it up, and then selling the bottles to the locals who no longer have safe or sufficient tap or well water. They also did a huge media blitz in poorer countries to convince mothers that their formula was far superior to breast milk.
  - nucleardog 5y ago
    Media blitz is really selling them short. They’d give new mothers samples of formula and tell them it’s healthier and safer for their babies. Just enough that by the time it ran out the mother’s milk hadn’t come in and breastfeeding would be extremely difficult or impossible to start. Then start charging for formula. Similar tactics to drug dealers, but most drug dealers I’ve dealt with had more of a social conscience than that.
    - spacemanmatt 5y ago
      Every drug dealer I've met is a part of the community they work in. Can't say that about any of the global corps.