10 Corporations Control Almost Everything You Buy — This Chart Shows How

[Auggie]

Ten mega corporations control the output of almost everything you buy; from household products to pet food to jeans.

According to this chart via Reddit, called "The Illusion of Choice," these corporations create a chain that begins at one of 10 super companies. You've heard of the biggest names, but it's amazing to see what these giants own or influence.

(Note: The chart shows a mix of networks. Parent companies may own, own shares of, or may simply partner with their branch networks. For example, Coca-Cola does not own Monster, but distributes the energy drink. Another note: We are not sure how up-to-date the chart is. For example, it has not been updated to reflect P&G's sale of Pringles to Kellogg's in February.)

Here are just a few examples: Yum Brands owns KFC and Taco Bell. The company was a spin-off of Pepsi. All Yum Brands restaurants sell only Pepsi products because of a special partnership with the soda-maker.

LINK: http://www.policymic.com/articles/71255/10-corporations-control-almost-everything-you-buy-this-chart-shows-how

Seven of them are directly responsible for adding to the general unhealthiness of the world, particularly the United States.

[roody]

1. Another good reason to avoid

processed foods, one's good health as well. These are the same companies that spend millions to not label genetically modified foods.

[woo me with science]

2. Our owners. nt

[2naSalit]

3. K&R

[ErikJ]

4. Koch Industry products to boycott

The Kochs own a lot of products too. Boycott them

It’s time to send a message to the Koch Brothers and Koch Industries that they cannot treat American citizens this way and still expect us to support their products:

Koch Industry Gasoline:

Chevron
Union
Union 76
Conoco

Koch Industry/Georgia-Pacific Products:

Angel Soft toilet paper
Brawny paper towels
Dixie plates, bowls, napkins and cups
Mardi Gras napkins and towels
Quilted Northern toilet paper
Soft ‘n Gentle toilet paper
Sparkle napkins
Vanity fair napkins
Zee napkins

Koch Industry/Invista Products:

COMFOREL® fiberfill
COOLMAX® fabric
CORDURA® fabric
DACRON® fiber
POLYSHIELD® resin
SOLARMAX® fabric
SOMERELLE® bedding products
STAINMASTER® carpet
SUPPLEX® fabric
TACTEL® fiber
TACTESSE® carpet fiber
TERATE® polyols
TERATHANE® polyether glycol
THERMOLITE® fabric
PHENREZ® resin
POLARGUARD® fiber and
LYCRA® fiber

Georgia Pacific Building products

Dense Armor Drywall and Decking
ToughArmor Gypsum board
Georgia pacific Plytanium Plywood
Flexrock
Densglass sheathing
G/P Industrial plasters (some products used by a lot of crafters)-
Agricultural Plaster
Arts & Crafts Plaster
Dental Plaster
General Purpose Plaster
Glass-reinforced Gypsum (GRG)
Industrial Tooling Plaster
Investment Casting Plaster
Medical Plaster
Metal Casting Plaster
Pottery Plaster
FibreStrong Rim board
G/P Lam board
Blue Ribbon OSB Rated Sheathing
Blue Ribbon Sub-floor
DryGuard Enhanced OSB
Nautilus Wall Sheathing
Thermostat OSB Radiant Barrier Sheathing
Broadspan Engineered Wood Products
XJ 85 I-Joists
FireDefender Banded Cores
FireDefender FS
FireDefender Mineral Core
Hardboard and Thin MDF including Auto Hardboard,
Perforated Hardboard and Thin MDF
Wood Fiberboard -
Commercial Roof Fiberboard
Hushboard Sound Deadening Board
Regular Fiberboard Sheathing
Structural Fiberboard Sheathing

H/T Boycott and Defeat Koch Industries

http://kstreet607.com/2011/02/23/boycott-koch-industry-products/

[Auggie]

6. Thanks for adding

[jmowreader]

23. The resins and polyols make it hard to fully boycott the Kochs

It's almost impossible to trace a plastic item all the way back to its raw material supplier.

And I'm not sure you'd want to; half the plastic in the world comes from a company that worked for Hitler.

[Raine]

25. THANKS for that list, it's good to know. nt

[joeybee12]

5. P&G also owns Iams...so they control me!

knr

[rurallib]

8. I think you've either been sold

or soon will be to Del Monte.

[joeybee12]

9. Still getting Iams coupons in the P&G newspaper circulars...

So it doesn't sound like a done deal, not yet at least.

[rurallib]

12. link btw

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-23/p-g-seen-enticing-del-monte-foods-to-iams-deal-real-m-a.html

stumbled on it looking for something else a couple days ago

good luck.

[joeybee12]

17. Thanks...seems to me I recall P&G buying Iams not that long ago...

Maybe about 10 years ago...

[rurallib]

18. good question - I am an old proctoid

think it was @ the time I left in 2000
yep - sept. 1999

[joeybee12]

19. Aha!

Good memory!

[defacto7]

7. Don't forget, many, maybe most of those products

are relabeled as store brands.

[rurallib]

10. Would be quite interesting to see the interlocking boards of directs

With these folks, the financial folks, and those 6 companies that currently own most of the media news (including the vaunted NPR).

That would be quite a project, not sure how somebody could make it understandable, but boy would that be a nice chart.

Until then here is a chart with directors who sit on many boards. Click on a given director to see where his or her tentacles reach.
http://orgtheory.wordpress.com/2011/08/19/theyrule-net-interlocking-boards/

[The2ndWheel]

11. E pluribus unum

[hfojvt]

13. huh, Phillip Morris used to own Kraft

but apparently they changed their name to Altria and also sold Kraft.

The other thing about those companies is the inter-locking directories. The will have many directors in common with big banks and big insurance companies, etc.

At least they used to.

[Auggie]

14. List of ConAgra brands

Act II - Microwave Popcorn
Alexia - Appetizers, Artisan Breads, and Potato Products
Andy Capp's fries - flavoured corn and potato snack made to look like French fries.
Angela Mia - Tomato products and authentic Italian specialties
Award Cuisine - Foodservice specialties that cross dayparts and temperature classes
Banquet - Frozen chicken and ready-to-heat meals
Big Mama Sausage - Snack-sized preserved sausages
Blue Bonnet - Margarine and bread spreads
Chef Boyardee - Ready-to-eat pasta meals
Chiffon margarine - Tubbed soft-margarine brand purchased from Kraft and later discontinued
Chun King - Chinese-style foods and meal packages
ConAgra Mills - Multi-use flours
Crunch 'n Munch - Glazed popcorn/nut mixture
David Sunflower Seeds - Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
Dennison's - Chili
Eagle Mills with Ultragrain - All-Purpose Flour made with Ultragrain
Egg Beaters - Processed egg product
Fernando's - Mexican entrees and appetizers
Fiddle Faddle - Glazed popcorn/nut mixture
Fleischmann's - Bread spreads
Gebhardt - Tex-Mex style foods
Golden Cuisine - Ready-made food for seniors
Gulden's - Mustard
Healthy Choice - Ready-to-eat and prepared foods
Hebrew National - Kosher sausages, cold cuts and condiments
Hunt's - Canned tomato products, ketchup and barbecue sauce
Hunt's Snack Pack - Shelf-stable pudding
J. Hungerford Smith - Dessert ingredients for restaurants
J.M. Swank - Food ingredient distributor
Jiffy Pop - Popcorn
Kid Cuisine - Prepared foods for children
La Choy - Chinese-style foods
Lamb Weston - Potato products
Lamb Weston Inland Valley - Consumer sales of frozen potato products
Lightlife - Vegetarian meat product substitutes
Luck's Incorporated - Canned baked beans
Manwich - Canned sloppy Joe mix
Margherita - Italian-style processed meats
Marie Callender's - Frozen meals
Move Over Butter - Margarine
Orville Redenbacher's - Popcorn and Poppycock
PAM - Spray cooking oils
Parkay - Bread spreads
Patio - Tex-Mex-style frozen meals
Pemmican - Beef and turkey jerky
Penrose - Pickled sausages
Peter Pan - Peanut butter
Pogo - Corndogs
Poppycock - Premium Glazed popcorn/nut mixture
Ranch Style - Baked and Refried beans
Reddi-wip - Whipped cream
Ro-Tel - Canned tomato sauce
Rosarita - Mexican - style foods
Screaming Yellow Zonkers - Glazed popcorn (Discontinued)
Slim Jim - Meat snacks
Swiss Miss -Powdered cocoa for hot chocolate and pudding
Squeez 'N Go - Prepared pudding
The MAX - Pizzeria quality products for foodservice operators
Van Camp's - Canned beans
VH - Sauces and frozen foods (Available in Canada only)
Vogel Popcorn - Popcorn
Wesson - Cooking oils
Wolf Brand Chili - Chili

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ConAgra_brands

[closeupready]

15. You'd have to consume lots of processed food products, though.

I make almost every meal I eat from scratch.

[Niceguy1]

29. I don't do boycotts

And maybe use a dozen items on that chart.

[cantbeserious]

16. The Oligarchs And Corporations Own And Control The Politicians That Own And Control Us

eom

[AndyA]

20. Just try to buy carpeting without supporting the Koch Brothers

They have their grubby fingers stuck everywhere in that industry.

[YoungDemCA]

21. K&R

[stage left]

22. K&R

[diane in sf]

24. The only thing I get from these companies seems to be Ben and Jerry and Duracell batteries

[Jamaal510]

26. Not-so-free-market capitalism at it's finest! nt

[Trillo]

27. It looks like an orgy to me. NT

[Uncle Joe]

28. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Auggie.