Episode 257: There IS (more) ethical consumption under capitalism (part two) with Lisa of Retro Housewife Goes Green

Welcome to Clotheshorse, that podcast that still gets riled up when I hear “Keurig Dr Pepper.”

I’m your host Amanda, and this is episode 257, part 2 of 2 that dares to declare “why yes, there is more ethical consumption under capitalism.”  And for this exploration into changing up our habits regarding where and when we spend money, I am joined again by Lisa Sharp of Retro Housewife Goes Green. Every time boycotts and economic blackouts come up on Threads, I see Lisa dispensing great advice about how to vote with your wallet by making different choices. So I knew that she was going to be the perfect guest to break this down for you.

Last week in part one, we talked about

• How and when boycotting is effective,
• How shifting up our spending habits is really an exercise in “progress not perfection,”
• And then we unpacked some of the big companies that create an illusion of choice in terms of cleaning products, laundry detergent, food, and skincare. We will also talked about how those companies are having a political impact here in the United States.

And now in part two, Lisa and I are going to share our recommendations for more ethical consumption. After that, I will walk you through my own “hierarchy” of decision making.  And before that, as promised last week, I am going to break down some of the megacorporations that are controlling a large portion of the grocery stores here in the US.

Before we get started: Just a reminder that everything in the merch shop is 50% off for podcast listeners using the promo code THEPRICEISRIGHT.  All sales are going directly to spay/neuter the colony of 12 (really 14) feral cats that Dustin and I have sort of inherited.  Here’s the update on what I’m calling “Operation Snip Snip.”

Last week, Lisa and I talked about the illusion of choice we are experiencing in grocery stores and big box stores around the world. Essentially: a few mega corporations own all of the brands we see.  So even though we think that buying say, Method, is a better, more ethical choice than say, Scrubbing Bubbles…we’re actually giving our money to the same company (who is then donating money to Trump or other Republicans). And part of this illusion of choice is that brands that we consider “indie” or “eco” are actually part of the same unethical, polluting conglomerates.  

Well, food is no different.  And what I found as I dug into some of the big food companies is that well, they often own entire categories of products (like say, root beer), while also including quasi “indie” and “green” brands in their portfolio.

I decided to look into some of these megacorporations. And what I found was pretty much “holy shit, like five companies own the whole grocery store.”  

The Kraft Heinz Company: $29.94 billion in revenue in 2025

• Oscar Mayer
• Ore Ida
• Classico
• Velveeta
• Capri Sun
• Boca Burger
• Kool Aid
• Jello
• Philadelphia cream cheese
• Lunchables
• Maxwell House
• Grey Popon
• Bagel Bites
• A.1
• Baker’s Chocolate
• Claussen
• Cool Whip
• Country Time
• Crystal Light
• Lea & Perrins
• Mio
• Miracle Whip
• Stove Top
• Shake N Bake
• Primal Kitchen
• Obviously anything with Heinz or Kraft in the title 

Like a lot of mega corporations, Kraft Heinz has its own PAC (political action committee). In 2024, the PAC donated about $336K, splitting those donations pretty evenly between Democrats and Republicans.

General Mills: $19.5 billion in revenue in 2025

• Betty Crocker
• Bisquick
• Bugles
• Chex, Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crips, Golden Grahams, Kix, Lucky Charms, Monster Cereals, Total, Trix, Wheaties
• Dunkaroos
• Fiber One
• Gardettos
• Gold Medal
• Green Giant
• Nature Valley
• Old El Paso
• Pillsbury
• Progresso
• Totinos

• Annies
• Cascadian Farm
• Blue  Buffalo
• Epic
• Haagen-Dazs
• Larabar

Once again, General Mills has its own PAC (wtf). In 2024, the PAC donated $357K with 75% of those donations going to Democratic candidates.

The Campbell’s Company: $10.253 billion in sales in 2025

• Rao’s
• Goldfish
• Lance
• Snyder’s of Hanover
• Prego
• Pacific Foods
• Pepperidge Farms
• Swanson
• Kettle Brands
• Late July
• Spaghettios

Campbell’s has its own PAC (of course), but the company does not contribute.  In 2024, the PAC donated about $44K, with 94% of the donations going to Democrats.

Let’s take a detour into the world of beverages…

PepsiCo: $93.93 billion

• Obviously lots of beverages: Pepsi, Bubly, Aquafina, Gatorade, Lipton, Life WTR, Evolve, Looza, Mountain Dew, Ocean Spray, Poppi, Propel, Pure Leaf, Rockstar, Sobe, Tazo, Sodastream
• But also, FOOD: bare, Cap’n Crunch, Cheetos, Doritos, Fritos, Cracker Jack, Gamesa, Lay’s, Miss Vickie’s, Quaker, Near East, Pasta Roni, Sabra, Siete, Smartfood, Spitz, Stacy’s, Sun Chips, Tostitos

Of course, PepsiCo has its own PAC.  In 2024 it donated $1.2 million, and it was pretty evenly split between Democrats and Republicans

In 2025, PepsiCo cut its DEI initiatives, abandoning workplace representation targets.  It also replaced some oils with avocado and olive oil and removed artificial ingredients from its snacks. This was done in partnership with a MAHA initiative.

Coincidentally(?) in 2025, the Federal Trade Commission dismissed a lawsuit against Pepsico that alleged price fixing and collusion with Walmart.  Basically, PepsiCo was in an illegal agreement with Walmart that ensured that Walmart would have the lowest prices on all of PepsiCo’s products (which is obviously a very long list). And rather than giving Walmart a price break to make those lower prices happen, it was raising wholesale prices for smaller retailers, so those companies could never match Walmart’s pricing.  That would include small businesses and local grocery stores. There is pretty much no doubt that this happened, so the case being thrown out feels like a favor?

Keurig Dr Pepper: $16.6 billion in 2025

• Sodas: Dr Pepper, 7up, Crush, Canada Dry, Sunkist, Squirt, RC, A&W, Stewarts, Big Red, IBC Root Bear
• Other beverages: Clamato, Snapple, Hawaiian Punch, Core Hydration, Yoohoo, Bai, Venom Energy, Nantucket Nectar, Roses, ReaLemon, Motts
• Coffee: Tullys, Green Mountain, LaColombe, Caribou Coffee, Stumptown
• Partnerships: Polar, Vita Coco, Evian, C4 Energy, Electrolit, Twinings

Another company with a PAC, $404K in 2024.  Most of this money went to a beverage lobbying organization, with only $22K going to political candidates.

Like many of these megacorporations, Keurig Dr Pepper tries to stay “neutral” on political issues, which is problematic when a company employs so many people and has so much control over what we eat and how it is made.  Food and workers rights ARE political issues, and anyone who says otherwise is probably hiding something.

Okay, let’s round this up with a banger: Nestle. Sales of about $110 billion in 2025.  If you recall, Lisa was blocked by Nestle on Twitter. Now, Nestle could be its own episode.  It is such a terrible company.  We’re talking about slave labor, child labor, stealing water, colonialism, greenwashing, plastic pollution, and more.  To get started on your Nestle hate journey, just go look at the wikipedia article for Nestle and scroll down to “controversies.”

• Animal foods: Alpo, BAkers, Beggin’, Beneful, Beyond, Busy Bone, Cat Chow, Dentalife, anything Purina, Fancy Feast, Dog Chow, Friskies, Merrick, Tidy Cats
• Beverages: Boost, Blue Bottle Coffee, Coffeemate, Perrier, SanPellegrino
• Food: DiGiorno, Drumstick, Gerber, Hot Pockets, Kit Kat, Lean Cuisine, Stouffer’s, Toll House
• Health: Garden of Life, Vital Proteins

Has its own PAC, donated about $96K in 2024, with most of this going to Democrats.

Now one thing I want to reiterate here: Yes, some of these companies are not throwing a lot of money–directly–into the pockets of MAGA or Trump…but all of them are spending a lot of money on lobbying efforts and we cannot see where the money goes after that. It is absolutely being used to push back on labor laws, wage increases, environmental regulations, tariff policy, and even food safety regulations.  All of these companies have faced lawsuits and controversies related to a diverse range of issues: pollution, workers rights and wages, water and land use, price fixing, and so on. 

It is also incredibly terrifying that a small handful of companies are providing the vast majority of foods that are available for purchase in grocery stores and convenience stores around the world…especially because we know that these companies plan for constant increases in profitability year after year, forever.  And that means that food quality declines, and workers are paid less and less.  No good comes from the constant pursuit of financial growth.  Furthermore, with so few companies involved in a substantial portion of the food supply, that means that they are also dictating how farmland is used, what pesticides are used, how water is allocated, and ultimately the quality and pricing of all of the fresh “non processed” foods and produce are also dictated by these companies.  Even the pricing we encounter at restaurants is impacted by these megacorporations.

So what can we do here? Ultimately the solution here is more complex.  Some of you are saying “well just stop eating processed foods.” And sure, that’s an easy solution if you live in a community with ample access to inexpensive, fresh food.  That means that these stores, markets, and farmstands can be reached without a car.  People with limited mobility have easy access, too.  And of course, everyone somehow magically also has time, space, and skill to prepare these fresh foods. 

That’s just not the world we live in right now. According to the USDA, more than 6% of Americans live in food deserts: places with limited access to supermarkets.  The reality is that processed foods (made by these megacorporations) are easy to find at convenience stores, gas stations, and even from vending machines.  They are relatively inexpensive and easy to prepare and consume.  In fact, these megacorporations benefit from widening wealth inequality and limited access to fresh foods.

The best advice I can give you here? Pick the companies that are absolute dealbreakers for you.  Like, I refuse to buy anything from Nestle.  There is nothing they make that I cannot find elsewhere.  That’s a good start when boycotting food companies.  TBH I also get off a little “lucky” here because I have celiac disease, so I can’t eat most of the foods manufactured by the other megacorporations.  But I still eat Annie’s gluten free stuff. I always eat Pacific Foods cartons of soup when I’m sick.  And I really like Rao’s pasta sauce.  The good news is that I buy my groceries from locally owned businesses and grocery outlets. I grow a lot of the produce I eat in the summer.  And I try to buy from local farmers as much as possible.  It’s not perfect, but it’s progress.

Another thing I will say? In the world of constant food company acquisitions and sales, it’s good to do a periodic “check up” of the brands you like.  A simple internet search of “who owns _____” is a good idea.  Not every day.  But maybe once a year. These days, the goal for most food startups is to sell to one of these mega corporations.  The grocery world is so brutal (it’s so hard to make money) that the founders of these brands are so ready to get a pay day and walk away.  

Listener Sarah emailed me to tell me about a recent visit she took to the Celestial Seasonings factory and I kinda wondered “who owns Celestial Seasonings?”  Well, the back story of Celestial Seasonings starts with some hippies, takes a detour into a cult, and then in 1983 it was bought by Kraft.  Kraft planned to sell it to Lipton, but Bigelow stopped the sale by suing (and winning) using antitrust laws.  Then Celestial Seasonings was bought by private equity in 1988. In 2000 it merged with natural food megacorporation Hain Food Group.  That’s where it has been since.   TBH Celestial Seasonings could be its own episode because it’s quite a story.  

But Kraft has bought and sold so many brands over the past 40 years: Planters, Tombstone Pizza, Lender’s Bagels, and Duracell are just a few.  

General Mills has bought and sold the following brands since the 1980s: Yoplait, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Parker Brothers, Play-Doh, Kenner, Lionel Trains, Talbots, Eddie Bauer!!

The point is that mega corporations are always…being mega. And it’s up to us to keep an eye on them, by being educated, concerned citizens.  And that’s going to mean some internet searches, some disappointing news, and some changes in our habits.

That’s a great transition into my conversation with Lisa, where we are going to share some alternatives to megacorporations.  We have a lot to cover, so let’s jump right in!

Thank you so much to Lisa for sharing her expertise with us! As I mentioned last week, she created a whole list (with links) of her recommendations and you can find that on Substack.  I will link that post in the show notes. And while you’re there, give Lisa a follow!

Okay, let’s take a minute to talk about how we can make more ethical decisions, even though we know that none of them will ever be “perfect,” thanks to the systems that surround us.  I have my own sort of I don’t know, mental flow chart, this hierarchy of good to best options for how I make purchases:

• Can I find it secondhand?
• If not, can I find it from a local small business?
• Okay, I can’t find it secondhand or small/local? Now is when I think about what values are most important to me. This is where I’m going to say, “okay, well Aldi feels better to me than Walmart or Target.” “Or at least that chain grocery store is much smaller than Walmart and its headquarters are in Pennsylvania where I live.”
• And if I have to go to Walmart or Target (like when Dustin had norovirus in Flagstaff), I just buy what I need, necessities only.
• And no matter where I bought it, how can I make it last as long as possible?
• What will I do with it when I no longer need it? Mindful rehoming.

Recognizing my privileges here:

• I live in an area with a lot of small local businesses, great thrift stores, the best yard sale season, locally owned grocery outlets, farmstands, and an awesome facebook marketplace.
• I have access to a car.
• I have time  to research it.
• I have less money now that I don’t have a corporate job, but I can spend a few dollars more.

Make the most ethical decisions you can based on your access and budget.  And remember, owning these decisions is one way we exert control over the world around us, even when we feel powerless.  These decisions matter!  

As I said last week, there IS (more) ethical consumption under capitalism.  And we are an important part of helping others understand that, too.  Then they can join us!

Here’s what we can do:

• Be compassionate, not confrontational.
• Show how we are making the most ethical choices we can within a very unethical system. Honestly, I think showing not telling is more impactful than just about anything we can do.
• Help others make more ethical decisions when there is an option.
• Just keep up the good work!

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer unfairness, excruciating shittiness of 2026.  And this is where I remind you again: we are not powerless. All of the worst people benefit when we THINK we are powerless, when we give up. Yes, I cry pretty regularly these days…but you know what? I’m not accepting defeat.  Good people far outnumber bad people. And I know that we can change everything that is happening around us if we just work together.