This Top Organic Brand Is Selling Out to a GMO Juggernaut
What’s the best way to squash your competition? Buy them out. Applegate Farms, LLC really has no good reason to sell out to a GMO-supporting mega-corporation. They’ve been worth millions for years, and have gained success in the organic food industry like few others. But money talks, and the organic meat seller is in negotiations with industrial food giant Hormel Foods Corp. to become part of its conglomerate.
The sell-out is being described by Reuters, and is reportedly worth between $600 million and $1 billion, but both parties declined to comment since the matter is confidential.
Hormel swallowing up Applegate Farms isn’t the only pro-GMO company using cut-throat tactics and big money to get rid of competition. The sale of Applegate Farms comes amid a slew of merger activity for meat companies.
Recent high-profile deals also include:
- Hershey Co’s acquisition of jerky company Krave
- Post Holdings Inc’s $2.5 billion acquisition of food processing company Michael Foods
- Tyson Foods Inc’s $8.6 billion acquisition of packaged meats producer Hillshire Brands
If you want organic chicken tenders, non-GMO sausages, lunch meats, or other healthier meat choices, you won’t find them in the Applegate Farms brand much longer.
Hormel is among companies like Monsanto, ConAgra, Kellogg, Smuckers, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi-Co who are trying to block your right to know what is in your food. They contributed heavily through the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association (GMA) to defeat Prop 37 in California which would have given people the right to know if genetically modified ingredients were in food.
This $1.2 trillion dollar industry can easily swallow even successful million-dollar companies like Applegate Farms – that is until we stop buying their products. Who really knows what is in SPAM, one of Hormel’s best-selling products? Hormel is also a notorious union buster and treat the animals used for their products poorly.
Is Hormel just trying to buy into the organic market? Or contaminate it?
This always happens. Pro GMO companies always buy out their healthier competition. Both parties of the deal just see dollar signs is all. It is really surprising when you look up who owns most organic companies producing everything from organic food products, organic health products, organic beauty products, and even organic seeds. I still believe in my opinion that applegate will produce organic meat products the problem being all profits will profit a corporation which is pro gmo. Just like Monsanto who tried to buy out all seed companies. The seed companies still produced heirloom non gmo seeds but the profits just patted the pockets of Monsanto. Point being here learn which corporations you are supporting with you dollars and vote wisely with them. That said it probably won’t matter in the end because the government seems to subsidize pro gmo companies with taxpayer dollars. Yes we don’t live in a free market. Who knew!!! LMAO.
I have really lost all hope in the US government who is actively trying to kill everyone! Under the pretext of safety!
This is an awful article. I’m surprised you didn’t cite Wikipedia in here…
What many people do not know is that Applegate is just a brand! (which
is overly priced in my opinion)…They do not produce any actual
products…(if that matters to anyone) (they do own the recipes
however)…Dietz and Watson produces their animal protein lunch meats,
John F. Martin & Son produces their bacon…Belmark produces their
cheese line…etc. The CEO is a typical Gorgon Gecko greed monger that
comes from old Ford and Budweiser money…He would have sold anything to
turn a profit…Don’t get wrapped up Applegate’s fabricated marketing
hype there are more reasonably priced alternatives out there that you
can buy –without going through a “middleman” company.
Their contributing already to the environment decline by slaughtering meat, so they don’t care!!!!
Maybe a certain covert agency who does henchman work for all the major corporations, made Applegate Farms “an offer they couldn’t refuse”.
It is just business as usual. The goal is to create a monopoly. We defeat them by taking away our buisiness. We take away our business by growing our own, getting to know our local farmers, creating growing alliances with neighbors, starting community gardens, starting school gardens, starting food co-ops. Contrary to the propogandists, food costs will go way down as my family’s food costs have gone way down. When in doubt, purchase certified organic. Go out to eat to restaurants that offer organic and non-GMO food. At our local healthy food restaurant, I can eat lunch for $4. It is fast and nourishing and delicious. Do you have a Chipotle restaurant near you? Again the meals are fast, nourishing and delicious.
Further, my asthma is now nonexistent. I do not diet, yet my weight is perfect for my health. I am clear-thinking and energetic.
I am working along with others to stand up and insist that GMO crops and synthetic pesticides are banned in my community. It is in my community that I have power. It is here that I put my enthusiastic efforts into purchasing foods at our local Grower’s Market and other sources of foods and products that benefit me and my community.
We have a right to be healthy and to do the actions and make choices toward a healthful world. We are only victims if we allow ourselves to be victimized.
Organic farmers use pesticides too, even some synthetic pesticides.
Just because you have bought into the organic lifestyle doesn’t mean everyone can do it. Many benefits you claim from eating organic or non-GMO can not be proven to be effects of these. Just living healthily.
Organic isn’t perfect, GMOs aren’t perfect, no agriculture production is perfect. For someone to say organic is more sustainable than conventional is not true.
Efficiently and sustainability go hand in hand. Conventional and organic practices are constantly becoming more efficient and better every year.
Agriculture has come a long way from the 1950’s! Where all farms were self sustaining and overly diversified. This is some people’s ideal view of farming. This is not reasonable anymore because there is so much to each species or grain.
Common urban ideals about old agriculture it isn’t practical because agriculture isn’t popular or needed by every family like it once was. This is because of scrutiny and lack of knowledge from our mainly urban society and outlooks.
Chiplote is one of the most unhealthy meals you can eat…(nutrition facts anyone?)
I fully support people getting involved with growing food their own food! That is great that people have good interests.
Just don’t be misguided and scrutinize companies that are improving agriculture in more ways than you think.
If money talks and non-genetic-synthesized-chemically laden food producers continues to remove themselves from the organic food battle due to money’s persuasiveness and US Agro policies,then US and world citizens better get busy forming Community Supported Agriculture and Organic Co-Ops and food markets because the push has become shove to plan and protect our healthy food choices on a global agenda. Having millions and billions to spend against right to know labels and purchasing the natural food competitors, the global glove is no longer hidden everything is for sale in America and the plan is to own it all.