The Company That Owns Annie's Homegrown Food Products Might Surprise You

As an increasing number of Americans are looking for healthier options at the grocery store, it's no surprise that brands like Annie's Homegrown is making its way into more kitchens. While some might wonder if organic or non-organic groceries are cheaper, ultimately many Americans are seeking out products without artificial dyes and flavors – something that was the foundation of the Annie's Homegrown brand when it was started back in 1989. The company grew from offering its famous mac and cheese and bunny-shaped snack crackers in its early days to having a long list of organic products in the '90s and 2000s. By 2012, Annie's Homegrown was a publicly traded company, drawing the attention of multinational food conglomerates looking to expand into the organic food market.

Today, the corporation that owns Annie's Homegrown food products might surprise you. The company was purchased for $820 million in 2014 by a large corporation you probably know well: General Mills. If you didn't know about this corporate buyout, don't feel bad. Surveys have shown that many Americans don't know who actually owns the food brands they enjoy, especially when it comes to organics. Plus, many people are duped by the misleading practices that these companies often employ to create organic-sounding names and labels for its products.

You may be wondering who owns your other favorite organic products. For instance, most consumers don't realize that Coca-Cola owns Honest Tea, along with Simply juices and Odwalla. Coca-Cola also claims popular bottled water brands Dasani, Vitaminwater, and SmartWater. Nestlé, another major player in the multinational food market, owns several organic brands as well. In addition to its huge bottled water segment, which includes brands like Deer Park, Ozarka, Perrier, and S. Pelligrino, it also owns Sweet Earth, Organic Sweet Leaf Tea Co., Grown Respectfully, and Nature's Heart. Meanwhile, PepsiCo recently acquired hummus brand Sabra, and owns Health Warrior, a brand that makes health food bars and oatmeal cups. Similarly, Conagra owns a host of different food brands, most notably Healthy Choice and Blake's All Natural Foods in the organic arena.

Knowing the truth about where your organic products come from matters. While many of these products might have begun wholesome and natural, when large corporations take over, things can, and often do change. Despite having the best intentions in the beginning, many of these companies inevitably put profits over everything else, a priority that can result in ingredient or sourcing changes — even if those exact things are what helped the product gain loyalty and trust from consumers in the first place.