Nationwide boycott targeted General Mills: Why consumers took action
Consumers nationwide took part in a week-long boycott of General Mills last week, taking aim at the massive company that organizers say represents everything wrong with the corporate grip on the nation's food system.
The seven-day spending freeze was organized by the People's Union USA and led by John Schwarz.
Schwarz, in an Instagram post, cited what he claims is General Mills' purported toxic ingredients, alleged price gouging during inflation, avoiding of fair taxes and its allegedly store-wide domination of mass-produced, low-nutrition products.
Here's what to know about the General Mills boycott, including what products were included.
When is the General Mills boycott?
The General Mills boycott began April 21 and ended at midnight on Monday, April 28.
What is the General Mills boycott? Why are people boycotting General Mills?
The People's Union USA is calling for a national boycott of the corporate giant's continued efforts to "profit off the backs of American families while doing absolutely nothing to reinvest into the communities it profits from."
Schwarz, in an Instagram video, called out the companies' alleged efforts to churn out "ultra-processed garbage" and "sugary poison," spending millions to lobby against GMO transparency and better food labeling to keep Americans blind to what they are eating.
What items are on the General Mills boycott list? Here's a list of General Mills products
General Mills is a manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods and pet food products that include cereal, prepared and frozen foods, soup, snacks, yogurt, baking products, pet food and ice cream. Several brands fall under the umbrella of General Mills:
- Cereals: Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, Count Chocula, Golden Grahams, Kix, Lucky Charms, Raisin Nut Bran, Reese's Puffs, Total, Trix and Wheaties
- Baking: Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Gold Medal, Bisquick, Autumn's Gold
- Snacks: Nature Valley, Annie’s (organic snacks), EPIC, Larabar, Chex Mix, Dunkaroos, Fiber One, Gardetto's
- Yogurt: Yoplait, Oui, :ratio
- Ice Cream: Häagen-Dazs
- Pet Food: Blue Buffalo
- Other Brands: Annie's (organic), Old El Paso, Totino's, Muir Glen (organic), Progresso (soups)
Do boycotts work? Do economic blackouts work?
The results from boycotts are often mixed, but professors told Paste BN that it can be a successful tactic to shame a company into reversing decisions or taking action.
In 2023, conservative activists staged boycotts of Target's Pride Month displays, leading the store to move its Pride displays to the back of stores. Last year, the retailer opted to scale back on its Pride collection, with many stores choosing not to carry it. Bud Light, owned by beer giant Anheuser-Busch, suffered plummeting sales following backlash in 2023 over a social media campaign with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
While difficult to gauge, data from the first economic blackout on Feb. 28 suggests there was "some potential impact" on sales for larger retailers, including Target, Walmart and Amazon, according to a Paste BN report.
Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.