Is your Easter candy Hershey's/Cadbury? UK employees shocked and awed.

[WinkyDink]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1263410/Cadbury-staff-given-ultimatum-Opt-final-salary-pension-pay-suspended-years.html

Cadbury employees have been told by the company’s new American owners that their pay will be frozen for three years unless they agree to opt out of the firm’s final-salary pension scheme.
Kraft Foods, which bought the 200-year-old chocolate maker for £11.6billion after a bitter takeover battle, has told 3,500 of its UK workers that their pension arrangements are unaffordable.
Kraft cannot close the final-salary scheme because of a clause in the Cadbury pension trust deed that it discovered after the buy-up.

Instead, it has told members they must either leave it voluntarily or accept a pay freeze until 2013.

[malaise]

1. Good I'll boycott them

Fuck them

[Haole Girl]

3. +1

Cadbury doesn't taste as good now, anyway.

[SocialistLez]

6. In Solidarity

I really like Hershey's too.

No more Hershey's syrup....no more milk chocolate nuggets w/ almonds....

[WhiteTara]

21. dark chocolate is much better for you

anyway. Once you try decent chocolate (say rainforest or even lindts) you'll never eat that kind again! (even if you weren't boycotting it)

[SocialistLez]

24. I'll try it

I've just been a milk chocolate fan for the longest.

I've tried dark chocolate and just couldn't get with it.
I guess I can try it again...:hi:

[WhiteTara]

35. look for 60% cacoa if you aren't ready for the

70-90% bite of heaven. It's (good dark chocolate) more expensive than Hershey's; but, you are much more satisfied after an ounce or two, compared to the whole candy bar.

Hey, if you want a good American chocolate- try Ghirardelli (from San Francisco.)

[SocialistLez]

40. I've considered Ghiradelli

Next trip to the grocery store, they'll be going in the basket.

Gracias.

[csziggy]

93. The last time I tried Ghirardelli it tasted waxy/nasty

Hershey's has a slightly different process for their chocolate than the traditional European style chocolate, dating from when Milton Hershey brought the milk chocolate process back from Europe. He got it a little wrong, resulting in the faintly sour flavor Hershey chocolate has.

An interesting read on why American chocolate is so different from European is "The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars" by Joel Glenn Brenner. It's mostly about the rivalry between the two companies and the families that owned them for most of their histories.

[malaise]

47. We grew up on Cadbury

but since it's an event to find it with almond or Brazil nuts, we rarely buy it these days.
Fuck them.

[Wilber_Stool]

81. No more

nuggets with almonds? Isn't that going a bit too far?

[Warpy]

8. They're both inferior, IMO, too sickly sweet

I'm a hard core chocoholic and kiddie candy has never appealed to me.

The only grocery store stuff I could ever stomach was Nestle's. It was too sweet, too, but had a better mouth feel.

[alfredo]

72. Ghirardelli and Godiva are my favorites

[Kablooie]

79. Lindt. Lindt.

[Quantess]

82. Lindt! +

Ritter. Scharfenberger.

[redwitch]

98. Scharfenberger

with sea salt and almonds. :swoon:

[GoCubsGo]

99. Yep, and if you have an Aldi nearby...

...their house brands are also excellent. Made in Germany and Austria.

[alfredo]

83. Never tried it. I can get it at our krogers.

[Daninmo]

9. I'm not sure

how a boycott will help the workers? Won't that cost them their jobs if people quit buying the product they produce?

[dana_b]

11. I thought about that too however

i really don't think that Hershey's is hurting financially. They can afford a boycott for a while and to pay their worker's a little more.

They even show their stock earnings on their website: THE HERSHEY COMPANY (NYSE:HSY)
43.06 0.25 (0.58%)


it's all about the $$

[SocialistLez]

17. I thought about that as well

Maybe I should write Nestle a letter and tell them WHY I am boycotting them.

[sandnsea]

33. Cesar Chavez didn't think so

Honestly, when will people stop buying into this bullshit whenever someone wants to stand up for workers' rights.

[dana_b]

10. me too. let them know

here:
https://www.hersheys.com/contactus/contact-form.asp

[SocialistLez]

19. It's not my most eloquent but I'm pissed!

"I have always been a huge Nestle fan until now.
I have learned that Nestle wants to freeze the pay of Cadbury workers and wants Cadbury workers to opt out of the company's pension system. Nestle is NOT a broke company and it is DISGUSTING that you are treating Cadbury workers this way. It all boils down to greed and selfishness.I will NO LONGER be buying Nestle products in the future because of your disgusting behavior."

[tigereye]

22. Nestle itself has never had a great reputation for it's concern for people in

general, as I recall.

[SocialistLez]

23. Sorry for not keeping up

I'm only 19...

But hey, it's never too late to be very informed.

I'm trying.

[dana_b]

26. you're doing well!!

at 19, i only cared about music, my boyfriend and......

[SocialistLez]

30. People my age

ask me why I'm so "political" and I wonder why they're so apathetic. This sh** directly affects us.

I just want to shake so many of them and tell them to: WAKE UP!!

Kind of reminds me of the ending of Spike Lee's "School Daze" movie.

[nannah]

62. it's not about age; i'm 66 and people diss me the same way

we make their complacency a bit uncomfortable. they especially dislike it when we mention events that conflict with what they want to believe. much expense has gone into creating an environment in which political discussion is not welcomed by the large majority of poorly informed people. They are uneasy with facts that don't mesh with the misinformation they are spoon fed.

[SocialistLez]

69. Yep

I've come to figure that out.
I especially agree with, "We make their complacency a bit uncomfortable."

I always get the, "Why is everything about politics with you?" Maybe because politics affects every facet of our lives?!?

I HAD a right-wing classmate of mine on my Facebook list and anytime I'd post stuff SHOWING her how incorrect her views were, she'd just completely ignore it and keep spouting her BS.

Cognitive dissonance maybe?

[nannah]

73. Maybe because politics affects every facet of our lives... the elephant in the room

think about how carefully we have been maneuvered into denying this. the more people are put off from understanding politics, the more manageable they are. making it nasty, corrupt, and confusing are all part of the agenda. making it socially unacceptable to talk about is very astute. dividing people over emotional issues another very effective technique.

The lesson of the 60's was "don't let them join together around any issue"; "keep people fragmented over issues of race, religion, and righteousness";.

sadly, it is working.

[SocialistLez]

75. +1

[tigereye]

27. it was 30 plus years ago, but they were peddling baby formula in Africa...

this was all before you were born... and I suspect they have plenty to answer for, like many large corporations...


No worries, welcome to the lefty fold. :D

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

[dana_b]

25. I think it's Hersheys, not Nestles that bought Cadbury. n/t

[SocialistLez]

37. Damn. Now I feel...

ya know...:dunce:

[muriel_volestrangler]

46. No, it was Kraft that bought Cadbury; THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HERSHEY'S

Sorry for the shouting in caps, but so many people have been misled by the crappy title of this thread.

Hershey's is an independent company: http://www.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=NYSE:HSY

The Mail article clearly says 'Kraft'. Not Nestle, not Hershey, 'Kraft'.

[dana_b]

52. thanks!!!

I will write to Kraft then IF they fix the contact link on their website. www.kraftfoodscompany.com

or I can write a REAL letter - :wow:

[malaise]

48. Thanks for the link n/t

[Enthusiast]

43. +1!

Next they will move to China.

[madokie]

105. Count me in too

:hi:

[wial]

2. will american stupidity never end

just askin'

let's take some of the best chocolate in the world and make it taste like wax. why must capitalism work so hard to remove quality from products?

[LiberalLoner]

4. Because quality and fairness and decency all get in the way of profit and we all know

that greed is good and profit is the only thing that matters. And hey if you die from eating tainted peanut butter or your dog dies from eating melamine-laced dogfood, it's all good because after all, someone made money off of your death.

I hate the direction our country has been going in. I hate the meanness and the selfishness and the willful ignorance. I hate that it is apparently also being exported around the world.

Maybe I just hate the whole world in general, I don't know. I always want better. I hate that the world is so mean and unfair.

[SocialistLez]

5. "I always want better."

"I hate that the world is so mean and unfair."

I've been thinking that way since I was about 4 or 5 rattling on to my mom about what I'd do to make the world a better place.

[LiberalLoner]

44. It feels good to come here and find kindred spirits. :) I don't feel so alone. :)

[SocialistLez]

50. My sentiments exactly

:hi: :pals:

[jody]

7. The 3,500 UK workers with their skills should start their own candy company. That's their right. n/t

[BolivarianHero]

12. Nope...

They should take over the factory and lynch any manager who tries to stop them.

[jody]

16. Makes sense as long as they obey UK's laws regarding payment for property and murder.

The problem with the candy factory is no different than what happened with GM and Toyota in Fremont California and threatens to happen with California's public employee system because retirement programs can not be sustained unless employees either pay more or accept less benefits.

[Doremus]

100. They could hire some French workers to show them how it's done.

In fact I think we here in the states should do it also. French workers know how to keep their corporations in line.

:thumbsup:

[Canuckistanian]

13. I've been boycotting Hershey's for a few years

Ever since they closed our local factory and sent hundreds of jobs down to Mexico. One of the reasons they set up here was for the quality of our local milk (and of course, lower Canadian sugar prices).

As far as I'm concerned, the quality of their products is about to get worse AND they've screwed our local economy.

[HarveyDarkey]

14. Ghirardelli here

To hell with Cadbury, Hershey's & Nestle.

[WinkyDink]

28. I made Ghirardelli mix brownies for today. MMMMmmmmm!

[amborin]

61. full of HFCS! i no longer eat it!

[Catshrink]

15. Give up my Reeses? Okay.

:cry:

[Overseas]

18. K&R to highlight American Corporate Values. //nt

[defendandprotect]

20. Corporatism marches on . . . American-style ....

[Heidi]

29. We don't celebrate Easter, but we do like chocolate. Lindt & Sprungli chocolate, in particular.

http://www.lindt.com/int/swf/ita/company/social-responsibility/sustainably-produced/fair-employer/
http://www.lindt.com/au/swf/eng/company/social-responsibility/sustainably-sourced/better-lives-for-farmers-and-communities/

[WinkyDink]

31. Living in PeepsLand (the only place they are made), PA, I can tell you Milton Hershey is rolling,

and not for Cadbury eggs.

He is a beloved figure in PA. Hershey was all about the poor, starting a school for orphaned boys.

[sketchy]

38. Can you give a quick synopsis of HOW in the world this happened?

How did the board of directors get to a point where they completely undid the wishes of Milton Hershey? (I'm boycotting them too, FYI).

I know I could research this but you seem to know more about it than probably I could find myself.

[csziggy]

94. Check the Wikipedia article on Hershey's - some interesting history there n/t

[SPedigrees]

68. I often think about Mr Hershey rolling in his grave

while his legacy is trampled on.

[hootinholler]

70. The whole point of the Hershey corporation was to provide a workplace and community

Not just the school. Hershey was selected so that fresh dairy could be delivered to the factory. Rail took care of the rest in raw materials delivery.

The workers were considered family by Milton. Once the modern short term bottom line philosophy of the new MBA crowd began applying what they had been taught to the foundation, then operations began moving away from community to Mexico.

Milton has been rolling in his grave for a long time now.

-Hoot

[jgraz]

32. Once again, I'm faced with boycotting something I don't buy anyway.

If someone starts a boycott of bourbon, please let me know.

On second thought, don't. :D

[AllyCat]

34. Nope. Natural brands all the way. But I'm up for a boycott

[Libertas1776]

36. Damn,

cadbury dairy milk was my favorite chocolate bar. Fucking Hershey has to ruin everything.

[City Lights]

39. Fuck Kraft. They piss on their workers while giving their stupid CEO a huge raise.

After winning the battle for Cadbury, Kraft chairman and chief executive Irene Rosenfeld was awarded a £17.2million pay and bonus rise in recognition of her ‘commitment to financial discipline’.

She also benefited from a £3million increase in the value of her pension.

[SocialistLez]

45. That is ridiculous

If they had any TRUE financial discipline they wouldn't be showering her with all that money....

[malaise]

49. So her pension increases

while she fucks the real workers.

[SocialistLez]

53. "The real workers"

:yourock: :headbang:

[14thColony]

41. Not the first time Kraft's done this

Once they took over York-based Terry's Chocolates in 2005 they closed the factory, fired all the workers, and moved production out of the country. Terry's chocolate oranges are now made in Poland and Slovakia IIRC.

New Labour swore they wouldn't let that happen this time around, and claimed they'd secured all sorts of 'promises' from Kraft, none of which it appears Kraft plans to follow through on. Well, at least they haven't closed the plant, fired all the workers, and sent the production to China. Yet. They'll just find ways to get rid of any employee who doesn't knuckle under on the opt-out. Just watch.

[WinkyDink]

42. MEA CULPA! It's KRAFT, not HERSHEY! Hershey only owns the following U.S. rights......

The Hershey Company does not own Cadbury Schweppes. However, Hershey has license agreements with affiliated companies of Cadbury Schweppes p.l.c. to manufacture and/or market and distribute YORK, PETER PAUL ALMOND JOY and PETER PAUL MOUNDS confectionery products worldwide, as well as CADBURY and CARAMELLO confectionery products in the United States. Hershey's rights under these agreements are extendible on a long-term basis at the Corporation's option.
.....

Whew~

[dana_b]

54. can you change the title?

or will it let you do that. I've never tried to change an OP title after it was posted.

[DemReadingDU]

51. We should boycott Kraft cheese, n/t

[SocialistLez]

55. Now I feel bad

I bought some of their cheese a few days ago and that's pretty much all we buy in this house...

:cry:

If it must be done...:patriot:. I'll do it.

[dana_b]

56. Sargento makes good cheeses

and as I recall are fairly liberal. :)

I looked it up. They were one of the first to pull their ads from the Glenn Beckkk show

[DemReadingDU]

60. Yum, Sargento!

:)

[SocialistLez]

64. I've been considering them

The only thing is I've gotten SO used to extra sharp cheddar cheese and Sargento doesn't make extra sharp cheddar.

On occasion my mom (who does the MAJORITY of the grocery shopping) will buy Sargento.

[newspeak]

84. Tillamook makes extra sharp cheddar

and I boycotted Kraft a long time ago.

[newspeak]

86. just want to mention

I don't know if they still print it. Back in the nineties I bought a handbook that had a listing of major corporations and their standings in regard to how they treated their employees, environment, etc... It had a list of the best corporations and the worst. I don't know if they're still printing, but it was very helpful. You may be able to find it on the internet.

[DemReadingDU]

58. Spouse loves Kraft cheese

or any cheese. I'll be sure to buy store brand or Sargento.

Some Kraft products
http://images.google.com/images?q=kraft+products&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=qci4S6OiIMOAlAf3w_2XCg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCcQsAQwAw


edit: wow, that's a lot of different Kraft brands

[SocialistLez]

66. It's easier to ask what they DON'T make

They remind me of ConAgra.

It's amazing how FEW companies control SO much of the food we eat.
It's like so many other things in the American economy: a small group of people control a huge shi*load of what effects SO many people.

:cry: :cry:

WHY does Kraft have to make Velveeta?!?

[jmowreader]

57. Ritter Sport is the ONLY way to fly

It's a brand of chocolate made in Germany, expensive as hell and well worth it.

[wickerwoman]

96. And they have hazelnut/rum flavor.

:loveya:

[jmowreader]

102. I have not tried the rum flavor, but should

Now...if you're dealing in German rum-flavored chocolate, please bypass the rum "flavored" stuff, as good as it might be, and go straight for the liquor-filled chocolates they sell over there. Man, ain't nothing like the drunk you get from liquor-filled chocolates.

[dana_b]

59. CADBURY and KRAFT BOYCOTT on facebook

I'm not yelling but wanted to get your attention. hehe.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SUPPORT-CADBURYS-AND-BOYCOTT-KRAFT-PRODUCTS/286896688161

and

http://boycottkraft.wordpress.com/

[SPedigrees]

63. I don't care for chocolate and very rarely buy it.

I don't trust that it won't have Chinese melamine in the dairy-based ingredients (I avoid anything made with preserved milk products) and the cocoa beans were probably picked by child slaves.

I buy organic local cheese and milk.

As a rule I try to avoid buying foods marketed by any of the mega food corporations.

OK I admit to buying peeps! We all have our weaknesses! But the instant they replace sugar in these confectionary concoctions with HFCS or crystalized fructose, they're history.

[xxqqqzme]

65. Everything kraft touches turns to crap.

For many years Caramello bars were my chocolate bar of choice. I always bought the Cadbury caramel eggs for the kids Easter baskets, my son's favorite Easter basket treat. This year I didn't even look for them. When I told my son - now 34, a few months backs that Kraft bought Cadbury, he said "Oh no, no more caramel eggs".

Doesn't R.J. Reynolds tobacco own Kraft?

[dana_b]

67. I looked in my cupboard

and we have NO Kraft products in there. I was surprised actually. A lot of good my boycott of them will do!!

Kraft seems to make things taste fake - everything seems like an imitation product.

[Greyhound]

78. You are a rare American indeed. Kraft makes so many products and is buying more every day. n/t

:kick:

[dixiegrrrrl]

89. Look again. Here is a list of what they make/own.

* A1 Steak Sauce
* Africana Romania
* Air Crisps
* Ali Coffee
* Alpen Gold (chocolate) (Poland, Russia)
* Arrowroot biscuits
* Back to Nature
* Bagel-Fuls
* Baker's (chocolate)
* Balance Bar
* Better Cheddars
* Boca Burger
* Bonox
* Breakstone's
* BullsEye Barbecue Sauce
* Cadbury plc
* Café HAG
* California Pizza Kitchen (grocery store items)
* Calumet Baking Powder
* Cameo (biscuits)
* Capri Sun (juice drink)



* Carte Noire
* Cheesybite
* Charada (Peru)
* Cheese Nips
* Cheez Whiz
* Cheezels (Malaysia)
* Chicken in a Biskit
* Chips Ahoy! (cookies)
* Chipsmore (Malaysia, Singapore)
* Christie (Canadian division of Nabisco)
* Claussen (pickles)
* Clight
* Club Social (crackers)
* Cool Whip (non-dairy whipped cream)
* CornNuts (snack food)
* Coronita (Peru)
* Côte d'Or (Belgium)



* Country Time (powdered drink mix)
* Cracker Barrel
* Crystal Light
* Daim (Sweden)
* Dairylea (Europe)
* Delissio (Canada)
* DiGiorno (pizza)
* Easy Cheese
* Eden processed cheese (Philippines)
* Estrella (Sweden)
* Field (Peru)
* Fig Newtons
* Filipinos (Spain, Portugal)
* Freia (Norway)
* Fudgee-O (Canada)
* General Foods International
* Gevalia (Sweden)
* Grape-Nuts (breakfast cereal)
* Grey Poupon (mustard)

* Handi-Snacks
* Harvest Crisps
* Honey Maid
* In-A-Biskit (Australia)
* Jack's Pizza
* Jacobs (Europe)
* Jacob's (biscuits) (Malaysia)
* Japp (Scandinavia)
* Jell-O (gelatin dessert)
* Jet-Puffed Marshmallows
* Kenco (United Kingdom)
* Knox (gelatin)
* Knudsen (dairy products)
* Kong Haakon (Norway)
* Kool-Aid (flavored drink mix)

* Korona Chocolate (Ukraine)
* Kraft BBQ Sauce
* Kraft Caramels
* Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
* Kraft Dinner (Canada)
* Kraft Easymac
* Kraft Mayo
* Kraft Bagelfuls
* Kraft Peanut Butter (Canada)
* Kraft Singles (pasteurized prepared cheese product)
* Kraft Sandwich Spread
* Kraker Bran
* Lacta (Brazil)
* Lefèvre-Utile
* Lunchables

* Lyuks (potato chips) (Ukraine)
* Maarud (potato chips) (Norway)
* Marabou (Sweden)
* Maxwell House (coffee)
* Milka (Europe)
* Miracle Whip (salad dressing spread)
* Miracoli (Germany)
* Mostro (Peru)
* Mikado (United Kingdom)

* Nabisco
* Nabob (coffee) (Canada)
* Naked Drinks
* Nilla
* Non-Stop (Scandinavia)
* Nutter Butter
* O'boy (Scandinavia, Estonia)
* Onko (coffee)
* Oreo (cookie)
* Orchard Crisps
* ORO Saiwa
* Oscar Mayer
* Grated Parmesan cheese
* Philadelphia cream cheese
* Pigrolac
* Planters
* Poiana (Romania)
* Polly-O (cheese)
* Premium (a Nabisco brand of saltine crackers)
* Pretzels
* P'tit Québec
* Prince Polo
* Pure Kraft Salad Dressings
* Ritz
* Ritz Metro
* Royal baking powder
* <[Saiwa (Italian Division of Nabisco)>]
* Seven Seas (salad dressings)
* Sanka (decaffeinated coffee)
* Shake 'n Bake
* Simmenthal (canned meat)
* Snackabouts
* SnackWells
* South Beach Living
* Starbucks (grocery store items)
* Stove Top stuffing
* Suchard
* Svoge (Bulgaria)
* Swiss Crackers
* Sugar Wafers
* Taco Bell (grocery store items)
* Tang
* Tassimo (single-serve coffee machines using pods branded as T-Discs)

* Teddy Grahams
* Terrabusi (Kraft Foods Argentina)
* Terry's (chocolates)
* Terry's Chocolate Orange
* Tiger Energy Biscuits (Southeast Asian countries)
* Toasted Chips
* Toblerone (Kraft Foods Switzerland)
* Tombstone (frozen pizza)
* Triscuit (snack cracker)
* Thinsations
* Trakinas
* Twist
* Twisties (Malaysia)
* Wheatsworth

[GreenPartyVoter]

92. Holy crap!

[dana_b]

95. I take it back

Boca Burgers. I have them in my freezer. :(

[dixiegrrrrl]

88. Phillip Morris did own Kraft, but Kraft has now spun off

into its own company, according to Wiki.

[alfredo]

71. So Kraft wants to pay off their massive debt by fucking the worker.

[Greyhound]

74. I wonder if the British are wishing they were a little more French-like today?

The chocolate is shitty anyway.
:kick: & R

[undeterred]

76. Oscar Meyer is owned by Kraft foods, which also owns Nabisco and Maxwell House.

Boycott them all.

[old mark]

77. I already boycott Hershey for closing a local plant with very short notice

to relocate their manufacturing facility in Mexico, while decreasing the weight of the candies, using a smaller amount of cocoa, and increasing the price. Hershey terminated entire families-in some cases 3 generations-here in Reading PA with little notice to save money.
I won't buy any of their products, and I'll do the same for Cadbury.


mark

[Kablooie]

80. I can't boycott Cadbury.

Because I don't like Cadbury chocolate and never bought them anyway.

[dixiegrrrrl]

90. But Kraft does not know that, so if you sent them a letter/e-mail

saying you refuse to buy product X it would still have an impact.

[Synicus Maximus]

85. If you want the real thing try these, they are all hand made

by a small shop in Atlanta.
http://www.maisonrobertchocolates.com/aboutus.html

[femrap]

87. Fuck Kraft.

And Hershey's chocolate sucks. I think it's made in Mexico now.

I buy chocolate from Trader Joe's...yum.

Boycott Kraft...it's pretty easy to do since all their food is processed, unhealthy and expensive.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

91. Are there good alternatives to Cadbury Creme Eggs available?

I hope this "boycott" brings CCE prices down. They're tastey.

[whistler162]

97. Someones carefully krafted Kraft career is close to concluding

wonder which lawyer missed the clause!

Hope it burns Kraft alot.

[Touchdown]

101. Bad thing. Hershey's Syrup is HFCS.... Nestle's Quick Syrup is sugar!

My Safeway took away the Nestle's and left me the Hershey's!:cry:

[onethatcares]

103. of course pension arrangements are unaffordable

how the fuck are the big wigs gonna buy another island if they have to think about the drones having something to live on after their working lives.

I wonder what the bonus paid on that buy out was?

[Romulox]

104. All good DUers should hop in their Hyundais to mail letters of protest against layoffs in Britian...

This board...is odd. :shrug: