Do Shoppers Trust Organic Food When It’s from a Big Company?

Kristin Appenbrink
Kristin Appenbrink
Kristin is the co-founder of Part Time Vegan and Silent Book Club. As a former editor at Real Simple, she is compulsively organized and loves solving people's problems. She has a weakness for desserts, especially ice cream.
updated May 1, 2019
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This week, NPR posed the question: What happens when those small organic food companies get bought up by larger factory farm competitors? Do consumers still trust them?

It’s a valid question, as we hear about brands like Odwalla being owned by Coca-Cola, or as the article points out, Niman Ranch being recently acquired by Perdue — one of the largest chicken producers in the country.

NPR talks with the owners of three companies — Niman Ranch, Cascadian Farm, and Lundberg Family Farms — about how selling or not selling their company has affected their business.

Cascadian Farm, which sold to General Mills several years ago, has mostly been left alone, aside from having more resources; Niman Ranch was so recently acquired that they aren’t sure how it will shake out yet; and Lundberg Family Farms has thus far resisted offers to sell.

We’re interested to hear what you think — do you trust smaller, organic companies less when they sell out to the big guys?

→ Read more: If Big Food Buys Your Favorite ‘Natural’ Food Brand, Will You Trust It? from NPR

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