Good Labels Gone Bad: Time to Boycott Burt’s Bees and Tom’s of Maine

The consumer has to stay sharp to keep up with big corporate maneuvers. I used to rely on Tom’s of Maine toothpaste because it was one of the only brands I could find that was fluoride-free, and Burt’s Bees because I assumed they made lotions and balms that were free of non-organics and toxic chemicals. But watch out, these are just two brand examples which have been bought out by big corporations, and who have less care about your health. What’s worse, the owners of thees companies are contributing millions to defeat GMO labeling in Oregon and Colorado.

Let’s start with Burt’s Bees. It was bought out by Clorox a few years back – the same company that makes harmful chemicals that require warning labels on most of its products so that people aren’t poisoned by them. They also sell items like Liquid Plumbr, Pine-Sol, and Armor All.

The original owner of Burt’s Bees – Burt – used to live a very quiet life in Dexter, Maine, selling honey from pickle jars out of his truck. But now that Clorox is in charge – watch out. Clorox is also a member of the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association, the same group that has partnered with the likes of Monsanto to dump millions into anti-labeling campaigns so that consumers won’t ever know what is really in their food. Donald R. Knauss, Chairman and CEO of Clorox, is an active participant in the GMA, in fact.

Then there’s Tom’s of Maine. The company used to be owned by a husband and wife team interested in providing ‘natural products to consumers, but now it has been bought out by Colgate-Palmolive – another company with no regard for public health. The original company swapped hands for over $100 million. And yet again – Colgate-Palmolive is in the non-labeling of GMOs game, too. They are also a member of the GMA, along with all of these companies – some of which may surprise you.

Other companies that might be surprising to find on the list fighting against the passage of GMO-labeling bills are:

• Kikkoman Foods
• Flowers Foods
• Silk
• Earthbound Farm Organics
• Odwalla
• Honest Tea
• Santa Cruz Organic Juices
• Bain & Company
• Big Island Candies
• Grandma Brown’s Beans
• Izze
• Suncore

Not exactly who you would expect to be in the company of Kraft, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Cargill, Dow, Monsanto, Frito-Lay and General Mills.

Cornucopia Institute has released a shopping guide to tell these companies that the copious amounts of money they are dumping into anti-labeling campaigns won’t work – because smart consumers will boycott ALL of their products. You can download your own high-resolution, printable version here.

Don’t let these corporate bullies defeat Measure 92 & Prop 105. You have every right to know what is in your food.