We all have our favorites when it comes to soft drinks, snack foods and other food and drink items. We know the brand names, but do we know which major companies actually own and produce them? Here are six of the ten major companies and the brands they own and produce. Some are sure to surprise.
General Mills – More than 90 brands that include Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Wheaties, Haagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Annie’s, Totino’s, Chex Mix, Fruit by the Foot, Progresso, Green Giant and Yoplait.
Kellogg – Their brands include Eggo, Jif, Pop-Tarts, Nutri-Grain, Pringles, and of course, the Kellogg’s cereals, such as Corn Flakes, Froot Loops, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Frosted Flakes, and Rice Krispies.
Nestlé – This has some major surprises. Based in Switzerland, Nestlé owns 8,000 brands. These include Nescafé, Nespresso,Taster’s Choice, Dreyer’s, Edy’s, Häagen-Dazs, Skinny Cow, Gerber baby food, Stouffer’s, Lean Cuisine, Hot Pockets, DiGiorno, Toll House, Butterfinger, Raisinets, Smarties and of course, all Nestlé-brand candies.
The Coca-Cola Company –The Coca-Cola company brands they own include Barq’s, Dannon, Dasani, Dr. Pepper (in Europe), Evian, Fanta, Fresca, Vitamin Water, Hi-C, Honest Tea, Illy, Minute Maid, Monster, Powerade, Schweppes, Sprite, and Zico
Kraft Foods Group – Kraft brands include A-1, Grey Poupon, Planters, Capri Sun, Jell-O, Maxwell House Coffee, Oscar Mayer, Polly-O, Velveeta, Kool-Aid, and Boca Burger.
Mars – This one offers a few surprises also. Mars’ products include 3 Musketeers, Dove, M&M’s, Milky Way, Snickers, and Twix. Did you know it also owns Wrigley and products like Altoids, Doublemint, Juicy Fruit, Life Savers, Orbit, Skittles, Starburst, and Winterfresh. Other brands owned by Mars include pet foods Cesar, Pedigree, Sheba, and Whiskas.
PepsiCo – PepsiCo is the world’s largest snack food company and owns 22 billion-dollar brands, many falling under another company Pepsico owns, Frito-Lay. Those brands include Lay’s, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, 7-Up, Doritos, Quaker, Cheetos, Ruffles, Tostitos, Aquafina, Brisk, Sierra Mist, Fritos, and Starbucks Ready-to-Drink Beverages.
One other note. Most of these companies also produce the cheaper “store brands” for places like Kroger, Wal Mart, Publix, Winn-Dixie. etc. So in many cases the “store brand” you buy is actually the name brand, but the cost is kept low because there is no fancy advertising done in print, radio or TV ads.
To see the full list of who owns and produces what go to: https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/10-giant-corporations-behind-your-favorite-brands-0/slide-2
