The iconic beer brand Bud Light took a massive hit over the summer due to the fallout from its partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.
In the first week of the controversy, Bud Light sales decreased 11%, and its stock plunged 20% by the beginning of June, losing the brand’s parent company, AB InBev, billions in market value. It suffered a revenue loss in its North American market of almost $400 million during the second quarter, and the brand’s sales are still lagging.
Despite being the target of one of the most successful boycotts in U.S. history, AB InBev’s stock has mostly stabilized. It’s down only 12% from the start of the year, and it’s actually up 17% from one year ago. The mitigation of AB InBev’s overall losses largely stems from the fact that it owns 7 0f the 10 best-selling beer brands in the United States. So, while sales of Bud Light have plummeted, the sales of other brands owned by AB InBev have remained the same or even increased as Americans switch to other brands without knowing that they are owned by the parent company of Bud Light.
The company, along with rival Molson Coors (the owner of Miller and Coors), have an iron grip on the domestic beer market, reducing the effectiveness of any boycott. This is why the boycott of Bud Light has only damaged AB InBev’s North American market and not crippled it.
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Beer isn’t the only market that has been cornered by a few large, woke companies. Practically every name-brand item that you can buy in your local grocery store is owned by a handful of very powerful corporations, and all of them have pushed leftist ideology in some way.
The Guardian investigated 61 items commonly sold at grocery stores in 2021 and found that a majority of the market share for almost 80% of those products was controlled by four or fewer companies. Close to 93% of the market for soft drinks is dominated by the Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr. Pepper. Breakfast cereal giants General Mills, Kellogg’s, and Post Holdings have cornered close to 73% of their market. PepsiCo has an almost complete monopoly on the country’s dip brands, with 88% of the market.
In 2022, 60% of the domestic American market for goods such as pork, coffee, bread, and cookies was controlled by just four companies. For products like beef, baby food, pasta, and soda the market concentration is even more acute — 80% of the market for those goods is controlled by the top four producers, according to Time.
The largest of these companies own dozens if not hundreds of brands and make tens of billions of dollars a year in revenue. According to the credit card company Capital One, these companies are:
Kellogg’s
- major brands: Cheez-It, Eggo, Famous Amos, Pop-Tarts, Pringles, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Special K, Rice Crispies
General Mills
- major brands: Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Gold Medal, Cheerios, Chex, Green Giant, Lucky Charms, Nature Valley, Pillsbury
Kraft-Heinz
- major brands: Heinz Ketchup, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Lunchables, Velveeta, Jell-O, Oscar Meyer, Kool-Aid
Mondelez-International
- major brands: Cadbury, Chips Ahoy!, Nabisco, Oreo, BelVita, Triscuit, Ritz, Wheat Thins
Mars
- major brands: M&Ms, Snickers, Twix, Skittles, Uncle Ben’s, Milky Way, Starburst, Spearmint, 3 Musketeers
Coca-Cola
- major brands: Coca-Cola, Minute Maid, Sprite, Barq’s, Fanta, Dasani, Powerade, Vitamin Water, Schweppes
Unilever
- major brands: Ben and Jerry’s, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Breyers, Ragu, Klondike
PepsiCo
- major brands: Pepsi, Lay’s, Aquafina, Doritos, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Quaker, Tostitos, Fritos, Cheetos
Nestle
- major brands: CoffeeMate, DiGiorno, Gerber, KitKat, Lean Cuisine, Perrier, Stouffer’s, Toll House, San Pellegrino
The brand lists for these companies are in no way exhaustive. Each has a massive portfolio of brands under their control.
The food industry made close to $200 million in political contributions during the 2020 election cycle, and almost $125 million during the 2022 midterm elections, according to Open Secrets. The 9 companies listed above tended to give equally to Democrats and Republicans during the 2022 election cycle, despite the fact that they have also tended to support leftist social policies.
All 9 companies have expressed support for LGBT pride celebrations and have touted their LGBT inclusion policies.
One of Unilever’s most recognizable brands, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, has become infamous for its endorsement of leftist policies.
The co-founders of the brand, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, have been trying to boycott Israel for several years, and new employees were reportedly required to watch video lectures featuring Palestinian activists lying about the Jewish state.
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Unilever has pushed to sell the ice cream in Israel and has said it has “never expressed any support” for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement, which argues that companies around the world should refrain from doing business with Israel due to the country’s alleged occupation of territory held by Palestinian Arabs.
This past Independence Day, Ben & Jerry’s issued the statement, “The United States was founded on stolen Indigenous land. This Fourth of July, let’s commit to returning it.” The post included a link to a site that calls for Mt. Rushmore to be handed over to Native Americans.
Advertisements for Unilever’s personal care items, such as Dove soap, have also become infected by woke ideology, pushing things like “fat liberation” and body modification for kids who identify as transgender.
Gatorade, owned by PepsiCo, has also co-opted the “fat liberation” movement despite advertising itself as “sports fuel for performance athletes.” An ad from earlier this year for Gatorade Fit (marketed as a healthier option than regular Gatorade) featured obese yoga instructor and “body positivity advocate” Jessamyn Stanley.
The Coca-Cola Company came under severe scrutiny in early 2021 when slides from their “anti-racism” training for employees were leaked online. Some slides reportedly instructed participants to “try to be less white.” The company also planned to implement a diversity quota in which it would only work with law firms that provide at least 15% of billed time from black attorneys. After the backlash, Coca-Cola dropped the diversity plan.
M&M’s, owned by Mars Incorporated, came under fire in early 2022 for changing the design of its famous “spokescandies,” anthropomorphized versions of their products, to become more “inclusive.”
The most noticeable change was made to the green M&M character, who lost her peach-colored legs and stiletto boots in favor of white legs and sneakers after criticism that the character was sexualized. Mars said it wanted the green M&M to be “better represented to reflect confidence and empowerment, as a strong female, and known for much more than her boots.”
In September 2022, the company introduced a new “spokescandy,” a purple M&M, specifically “designed to represent acceptance and inclusivity,” drawing further criticism. The backlash became so strong that in January 2023 the brand announced an “indefinite pause” on using the characters in ads.
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Another Mars Incorporated candy, Skittles, partnered with GLAAD, an organization that supports radical gender theory, to create special Pride Month packaging for the candy that included slogans like “Joy Is Resistance” and “Black Trans Lives Matter.”
As part of Pride Month, Skittles promised “to support the LGBTQ+ community by amplifying and celebrating their stories” and said it will “donate $1 for every Skittles Pride pack sold to GLAAD in support of their ongoing efforts to work through media to combat anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.”
Oreo, owned by Mondelez International, released an ad back in April featuring a young man coming out as gay to his grandmother. There is very little actual product placement in the commercial, focusing almost solely on social messaging.
“Coming out doesn’t happen just once. It’s a journey that needs love and courage every step of the way. Share our new film 👇 and let someone know you’re their #LifelongAlly,” the caption of the video posted on X said.
“Your cookie must affirm your sexual lifestyle,” Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro quipped. “Again, the chief reply here seems to be: ‘How dare you notice that a cookie company is now running ads on sexual orientation?’ Guys, the story is that every woke corporation now believes it must become an activist LGBTQIA+-%6& outlet. And yes, that’s a story.”
Uncle Ben’s, owned by Mars Incorporated, and Aunt Jemima, owned by PepsiCo, were both altered in the wake of the death of George Floyd and the subsequent riots in order to “create a more inclusive future.” Uncle Ben’s was changed to Ben’s Original, while Aunt Jemima was rebranded to Pearl Milling Company.
There are non-woke alternatives to some of these products, including chocolate and soap, but many small would-be competitors to these giant corporations end up being bought out and joining their portfolio of brands, according to The Guardian’s investigation. Anti-trust laws and regulations could be used to block mergers and curb monopolistic practices, and President Joe Biden has called on government agencies to enforce existing laws. But, as with so many other issues in Washington, lobbying and a lack of bipartisan support has stymied attempts at reform.
This illusion of choice in the grocery store not only hinders free market competition, it also impedes the effectiveness of any potential boycott launched by conservatives to protest these companies’ political stunts. Both the corporate and ideological monopoly held by these companies ensures that conservative customers will have fewer and fewer options for products that don’t push leftist ideologies.