The Siete Foods Buy Out - What It Means When Big Food Buys Up Health Brands

Is all hope lost when beloved natural foods' companies are bought out by Big Food? In today's episode of Blasphemous Nutrition, Aimee dives headfirst into the heated discussions from the natural health community, dissecting the nuanced implications of PepsiCo's buyout of Siete Foods and urging listeners to look beyond surface-level reactions. As she navigates through consumer fears and industry realities, Aimee brings her trademark candidness to the forefront, challenging black-and-white perceptions with well-articulated clarity.

Aimee elucidates how acquisitions by multinational food corporations have become a pattern in the industry, citing examples like General Mills acquiring Annie's Homegrown and Hormel's purchase of Applegate Farms. The episode reveals her skepticism about the true intentions of such behemoths, while also encouraging a broader perspective on potential benefits like improved distribution and stable product pricing. According to Aimee, the ultimate power rests with informed consumers – one who remains vigilant, continues to scrutinize labels, and leverages purchasing power to hold corporations accountable.

Key Takeaways:

• Siete Foods' acquisition by PepsiCo has sparked debate within the natural foods community, raising concerns over product quality and corporate ethics.
• Despite skepticism, there are potential benefits to the acquisition, including better distribution and stable pricing.
• Consumers are urged to maintain vigilance and exercise their power through informed purchasing choices.
• Aimee warns against demonizing families behind such businesses and advocates for understanding the complexities of such decisions.

Find Research Citations and Transcript at Blasphemous Nutrition on Substack

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Photography by: Dai Ross Photography

Podcast Cover Art: Lilly Kate Creative

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Transcript

MacBook Air Microphone: 0:00

Last month, the natural health community was all flutter over the announcement that Siete foods will be selling to Pepsi co for$1.2 billion. While, many voices expressed outrage in betrayal by this purchase, as with all things the truth is more nuanced. What does it mean when a massive multinational processed food company buys up the little guy? Tune in to find out.

0:32

Hey Rebels, welcome to Blasphemous Nutrition. Consider this podcast your pantry full of clarity, perspective, and the nuance needed to counter the superficial health advice so freely given on the internet. I'm Aimee, the unapologetically candid host of Blasphemous Nutrition and a double degreed nutritionist with 20 years experience. I'm here to share a more nuanced take. On living and eating well to sustain and recover your health. If you've found most health advice to be so generic as to be meaningless, We're so extreme that it's unrealistic, and you don't mind the occasional F bomb. You've come to the right place. From dissecting the latest nutrition trends to breaking down published research and sharing my own clinical experiences, I'm on a mission to foster clarity amidst all the confusion and empower you to have the help you need to live a life you love. Now let's get started.

MacBook Air Microphone: 1:32

If you are a gluten-free or eat low carb and prefer no additives. Chances are you are familiar with Siete foods for their grain-free chips. Almond flour tortillas. And more recently, wickedly tasty Banuelos and Mexican wedding cookies. They've created the first gluten-free natural flour tortilla that did not tear apart when you tried to fold it. And I will for one be forever grateful to them for this. This decision was met with a lot of hate amongst the natural foods community, with many saying they're no longer going to purchase the product. And there was a lot of fear around the quality of Siete food's going to shit since Pepsi of all godforsaken companies was buying them out. Now It is not anywhere close to being the first natural foods company to sell out to big food. Most of the brands we are familiar with and love are actually owned by bigger food conglomerations, general mills is now the owner of Annie's homegrown Mac and cheese, Larabars, Cascadia farm, muir Glen, rhythm superfoods, and food should taste good. The candy company, Mars MnMs owns seeds of change. Applegate farms was bought out by Hormel and Tyson is actually the owner of Aidell's sausages as well as vans, natural foods. Kellogg's owns RX bars, bear naked brand, and Kashi cereals. And it's not just food; Tom's of Maine. The toothpaste company is actually now part of Colgate and Burt's bees sold out to Clorox. In 2007. Dave's killer bread, canyon Bakehouse. Gluten-free breads. And that was bought out by the company that owns wonder bread and tasty cakes. And for your reference, this company is called a perfectly innocent sounding flower foods. And these are just a couple, I mean, chances are a brand that you love that is available nationwide and is not a newcomer to the scene is probably owned by somebody much bigger with somewhat questionable proclivities. This is true of the supplement industry as well with known and much loved brands, such as Metagenics. Pure Encapsulations and New Chapter being owned now by Amway, Nestle, and Procter and gamble, respectively. I mean every time I say that it kind of makes my stomach turn, but that's the reality of the situation. So do I think all of the hand ringing and cries of protest are warranted. Not exactly. I mean, don't get me wrong. I do not trust these big companies either. So while I think. They know, and we know that it is in their best interest, not to dilute these products with ingredients that the customer base tends to avoid. I also think it's justifiable to be concerned about the quality of their products or rather of the products that we like that they've purchased. Over the longterm. When large companies with a record of poor humanitarian and quality business practices buys out a loved natural foods company. It is reasonable to be wary of the future of that product. I mean, these companies clearly repeatedly, you only care about the bottom line, but they know that the natural foods industry is a legit moneymaker. That is precisely why they are buying up these small companies. So it's really easy now to think of the Garza family who created see it. They foods as sellouts and assholes and greedy people who ultimately only care about money over quality. But the reality is we don't know the truth behind this sale. Very very, very few of us. know firsthand how hard it is to make a quality. Product based business successful in the first place. Let alone. Scale it so that it is a nationally recognized brand in a niche market. The Garza family should be celebrated for this accomplishment. None of us have a fucking clue what it has cost to them in terms of health, family life, relationships, and sanity. None of us know if at the end of the day, the speed with which they scaled, put them in financial trouble that threatened the very survival of their business. None of us are privy to the accountant books. I for one would still rather be able to buy, Siete Buñuelos this Christmas and the next then see the company disappear forever because they could not sustain the success that they worked so hard to achieve. Given how much food costs have risen since the pandemic. I would not at all be surprised if this played a part in their decision to sell. What Pepsi co can do that. They may have been struggling with. Is maintain this level of scale and a more cost effective way to stabilize, or maybe even lower product prices in a time when food prices are exploding. Pepsi co also has the level of distribution that makes it possible for Siete foods to show up in gas station, convenience stores and other areas in a food desert where the people who live there. Have never had access to this kind of quality. In our outrage. It is easy to forget that behind the company we love is a family. And behind the nasty ass behemoth that purchased them. Is the ability to improve access and affordability for all. Will Pepsi taint the ingredients and dilute the quality of the brand. My guess is that they'll probably avoid doing this for as long as possible. Because it erodes the loyal customer base and threatens their investment. Shoppers are smarter and more critical than ever. And when it comes to natural food shoppers, we are also more savvy at label reading than most. They know this. They're not going to go hacking away at the quality unless they feel they absolutely need to because ultimately it will decrease their bottom line. They will do other things to improve the bottom line first, such as streamlining production. What is more likely to happen? Is that employees of Siete will begin being treated like easily replaceable hardware. And the workplace quality will erode. Longtime employees will likely leave and be replaced by random people who have less of their soul invested in the product or business. This can all be done without decreasing the quality of the final product. And it can also improve the profit margin of the product as well. Now I say this without knowing anything about what it's like to actually work for Pepsi co I only speak from the experience of being part of a small successful business that was purchased out by a company too big to fail. And what I hear from clients who also work for large, publicly traded companies. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm totally willing to be wrong. I would actually really love to be wrong, but it's more likely I'm correct. In this regard, then it's likely that Pepsi co is going to start sneaking GMO corn starch into my cassava chips. I'm really curious. What do you all think about this? Did you even know that Siete foods was being purchased? By Pepsi co or perhaps that Tom's of Maine was owned by Colgate. Is this struggle between maintaining the quality and heart of a company, but also maintaining the viability of that company something that's on your radar. It's definitely a complicated topic and it's one that I think is too quickly reduced to soundbites this versus that black versus white arguments. That don't really address the nuance and the reality. Of the situation. It also really necessitates that we, as consumers who do value the quality of our product, stay on top of things, continue to read labels, especially not just immediately after a buyout like this, but years down the road to ensure that the quality is there. We as consumers have our greatest power to influence companies through our dollar through our Euro, through our pound. It's what is in our wallet that gets companies to change. They know and understand. That quality foods are important to an ever increasing part of the population. We can take that and use that to our advantage by holding them accountable and by utilizing our wallet, whenever we can to make the choices that we want to be making. And I know for some of you that means turning her back on, see up there. I get it. I understand. And I'm not going to really hold that against you I just encourage individuals who are upset about this. To not necessarily demonize the family behind the product that you care about and to understand that while it is disappointing. There may be some benefits down the road that otherwise would not have been realized. That's all I've got in me today. Folks. Thank you so much for listening to blasphemous nutrition. If you liked what I had to say today, share it with a friend. Also, please leave a review rate. The podcast. This helps blasphemous nutrition get in front of new eyeballs and learn more about the nuance under nutrition and health that is not being talked about on most of the internet. Until next time, my blasphemous buddies.

12:12

If you have found some Nuggets of Wisdom, make sure to subscribe, rate, and share Blasphemous Nutrition with those you care about. As you navigate the labyrinth of health advice out there, remember, health is a journey, not a dietary dictatorship. Stay skeptical, stay daring, and challenge the norms that no longer serve you. If you've got burning questions or want to share your own flavor of rebellion, slide into my DMs. Your stories fuel me, and I love hearing them. Thanks again for tuning in to Blasphemous Nutrition. Until next time, this is Aimee signing off, reminding you that truth is nuanced, and any dish can be made better with a little bit of sass.