While there are many Israeli and multinational companies that benefit from apartheid, this list highlights five brands sold at most Safeway stores. Remember: We”re not asking you to boycott Safeway, but to let management know that you don”t support them selling products that benefit from apartheid!
1. Pampers
diapers and baby products
Pampers” parent company Proctor & Gamble is the biggest client of Avgol Nonwoven Industries, one of the world”s leading diaper makers which supplies diaper fabrics. Avgol”s lead manufacturing plant is located in the Barkan industrial zone, an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. According to international law, it is illegal for Israel, as an occupying power, to use occupied Palestinian territory for profit.
(Source: Who Profits)
2. Sabra
hummus, baba ghanoush, and other refrigerated foods
This brand of hummus, baba ghanoush and other foods is co-owned by Pepsico and Israel”s second-largest food company, The Strauss Group. On its “Corporate Responsibility” webpage, the Strauss Group boasts about “sweetening the special moments” of the Israeli military”s notorious Golani Brigade by supplying it with food products and political support. In 2008, Breaking the Silence, a group of ex-Israeli soldiers came forward with documentation of the Golani Brigade”s torture and humiliation of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.
(Additional Sources: Adalah NY, Ha”aretz)
3. Yes to Carrots
bath and beauty products
Israeli beauty manufacturer Yes to Carrots purports to make organic, “cruelty free” and all natural beauty products that “make a difference, not only to how you look, but also to how you feel about yourself and the world around you.” Yes to Carrots also prides themselves in using minerals from the Dead Sea. According to Oxfam International, the area where Yes to Carrots gets it minerals is Palestinian land illegally occupied by Israel and, according to international law, it is illegal for Israel to exploit these natural resources for profit.
For more information about Israeli products made illegally from Dead Sea natural resources visit www.stolenbeauty.org.
4. Osem
croutons, snacks, and couscous
Osem Investments Ltd is an Israeli-based food manufacturer and distributor, 39% of which is owned by Nestlé. According to its website, Osem”s USA company reaches more than 1000 independent stores and 3000 supermarkets. According to London-based NGO Corporate Watch, Nestlé has been implicated in a variety of harmful practices since 1977 including: the unethical and harmful promotion of its baby formula, farm labor violations, union busting, and environmental abuse.
(Additional Sources: Oxfam International, Greenpeace, The Guardian)
5. Tribe
hummus
This 15 year old hummus company based in Massachusetts was recently sold to the Osem Investments (see above) for $57 million.
(Source: Reuters)
To view our complete list of Israeli products to boycott, click here. To report new product sightings, email us at products[at]baceia.org.
