More and more independent natural and organic food companies are being bought out by huge food conglomerates, so it should come as no surprise for you to find out that Alexia Foods is now owned by…ConAgra. Yes, that’s right this ‘natural’ food line is owned by the company that has brought you Slim Jim, Chef Boyardee, and Banquet: three food lines whose products contain enough preservatives to embalm you before you die.
I went to Alexia’s website and no where on it does it mention that it is owned by ConAgra. That is very typical of these large food manufacturers, because they want you to think that their ‘natural’ food lines are independently owned. They think that if their products seem to be produced that way that you the shopper will feel as if you are supporting the little guy. This is what ConAgra says about Alexia Foods on their site:
Today, Alex Dzieduszycki’s thirst for innovation, culinary creativity, and entrepreneurial expression has led him to the creation of Alexia Foods. Alexia is an all-natural, trans-fat-free line of premium frozen products developed for the natural and specialty food consumer with a sophisticated palate. Each Alexia product has been individually crafted by Alex himself to ensure a superior quality product that delivers outstanding flavor in every bite.
I wonder how much money ConAgra gave Dzieduszycki for the company? I guess everybody has their price no matter how much their ‘thirst for innovation’ is. ConAgra has been involved in some major recalls and helped fund the defeat of a bill that would have made companies disclose on their food labels which ingredients are GMO produced. I guess those ‘specialty food consumers with sophisticated palates’ wouldn’t be too thrilled to hear that would they. They have also bribed federal food inspectors and destroyed a historic building in order to make room for their offices. These guys sound like the bullies of the schoolyard, don’t they? Not exactly the image of a nice and small natural food company that’s for certain. The ingredient lists for the products are not anywhere on the site, which makes me think that they are hiding something. They have the nutritional stats for them, but what is the point of reading that when you don’t know what is inside the bag.
You have to do your homework these days when it comes to the food that you are purchasing. Not only do you have the read the labels, you also have to look behind them.
Food Lies 
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I *thought* they were too good to be true… Healthy, affordable, readily available, I should have known there was a catch. Sigh…
Thanks for outing the truth!
When a product like Alexia Foods gets wide distribution it usually means that they are owned by a large corporation. It’s really sad to me that ConAgra is trying to fool the public like it is.
Probably Russian collusion, don’t you think? The FBI will sort this out
I couldn’t agree with you more. It is so sad that independent food companies can’t seem to figure out how to stay in business without being tempted by buyouts from these awful companies. I am still not over Toms toothpaste being bought by Colgate. It just sucks.
Oh, boo hoo! They’re bringing organic and natural products to consumers because they have sophisticated management and distribution models. It’s not like they contaminate the product with their brand name. Organic freshpack represents about 12% of the market and processed foods about 4% – about a US$ 30 billion market and nothing to sneeze at. Of course, in a market economy there will be bigger players that want their share of that market. Every company started out small. There’s a certain snobbery associated with being a locavore that I’ve never been able to grasp.
True Doug. I’d rather have these guys around than not for those that do not have access to other options. The beef I have is mainly two issues; Their marketing is often deceptive, and customer service has been terrible at best.
For example, Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free cake mix has so many junky ingredients, it’s a toss-up if it’s really worth it. For the less savvy, well-meaning folks that pay more for groceries in general, it’s tough to jockey around spin. I’m all for buyer beware, but where does one draw the line for the corporate conscience? Advertising is inherently deceptive I get that. Yeah, having a corporate conscience is a trendy thing to talk about for sure, but it indeed continues to be a problem.
This is why I love HFS owners. True, they are often quirky and snobby as a stereotype, but many began their business because they are sick themselves or have sick family members. Speaking from experience, a person takes a lot of crap in general and feels judged by their alternative lifestyle that they did not choose to keep their health. No wonder they are quirky and elitist or snobby. Many of them just don’t feel well.
HFS products are often superior, and many of them sacrifice profit over quality. This is why I was so bummed out about Toms. Having a child with autism limits me to about two brands of toothpaste, and within that, just a couple varieties to choose from. So, I knew that my choices may become even more limited if Colgate chose to switch ingredients that my child could not tolerate.
For years, people with allergies and intolerances had an extremely difficult time getting access to ingredient information from these companies. I find the majority to be elitist on the phone, and often ignorant about ingredients and how to help me. I remember being on the phone for three hours with jelly bean companies so my kid could open easter eggs with the neighbors. This was commonplace for just about any food group. It sucked.
I am glad that customer service has improved with these companies, thanks to lawsuits and that allergies have tipped into mainstream and NOW companies can make money! Hurray for that, total agreement since that gives more people access and choices.
ConAgra is a distribution company. That don’t own the companies they distribute. They own the contracts with that company to distribute their products in a wider area than what the small companies do. You can learn that just by watching stuff like The Profit where he regularly gets small companies contracts with distributors such as ConAgra.
Doug, my take on this is the sneaky methods of Con Agra not to disclose anywhere that Alexia is owned by them. Not so much how the original creator cashed in but I guess it’s a matter of perspective. I’m more upset to buy from con Agra when they take my $$ and then try and squash GMO labeling.
I am so glad to have found your blog…I’m signing up to follow right now. I’m a fellow blogger (food) and I am urging every single one of my friends and followers to boycott these products. Thanks again!
Thanks for your post! I’m glad to have come across your blog. My family just became aware (after years of ignorance) of how bad our food system is. We’ve been eating organically for just over a year, and it angers me every time I find out about another food that I thought was ok, but then find out they are owned by big companies that I don’t agree with ethically. Thanks for spreading the word!
~Jen
Is this about nutrition or is this about politics? Can your body differentiate between “ethical” and “non-ethical” foods? The USA has the best labeling laws worldwide. It’s one thing to read the ingredients and nutritional panel and judge accordingly. But to boycott a product because of who might produce it? Ludicrous! Get a grip!
I can boycott whomever I want for whatever reason, thanks very much. How about you get a grip buddy.
Hahaha! What a bunch of little fascists! The hairy leg set!
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Regulation/FDA-warns-Alexia-Foods-over-all-natural-label-claim
I’m walking through Whole Foods as I type. Everywhere you turn you will see “Local” “Organic” “No Trans Fat”…so I
come across ‘Alexia’ and wonder where did this come from, who owns it? I type the search into Google and this is what I found. Of course.
how about you just grow your own food. Feed your family with the sweat of your brow. Then you will not have to worry or complain about companies that are feeding the rest of the world. Now just shut up already!
Is anything safe to consume/have good ethical standings anymore?? Sheesh
I like the products so much I looked into the stock and have to now consider they come from Contradiction Agra – if the go non gmo they with likely add msg
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At this point I really do not care who manufactures the food but as of today 1/18 I am trying to get information on ingredients on some fries and I can not even get them through their own website and I try to call and nobody answers or are you able to leave any sort of message to find out. To me the company isn’t trying it’s best to help those looking for ingredient or nutritional information or even allowing us the consumer to connect with them to get our questions asked. With all this work and time I have put into this to connect with them and their customers are not important enough to make it possible to ask your questions on their food they are selling to us, this company isn’t in my trust and reliable category for truth in labeling. They are off my list to buy. PS I have bought their products but with the allergies I never feel good after eating their products and eat others products that are similar and do not have the same reactions as from Alexia. I wanted to get their reaction but not able to.