This week I stumbled over an article/research about the worst environment damaging companies in the world. The absolutely NUMBER ONE is a private US-group: Cargill !
With this post I write a short excerpt from the original statement, just to sensitize my readers to this subject ! If you are interested in more you can find the link to the full article at the end of this post and can read it by yourself.
Cargill today deals with agricultural services, crop and livestock, food, health and pharmaceutical, industrial & financial risk management, raw materials. Its revenue is far beyond US$125.000 billion. Its net income in 2018 was more then US$3.000 billion and its assets in 2018 over US$60.000 billion ! That is US$60.000.000.000.000,– !
Child labor, pollution, deforestation:
Cargill according to NGO – Worst Company in the World !
Cargill is the United States’ largest privately held company, bigger even than the notorious Koch Industries. Its footprint extends around the world. But The Worst Company in the World? We recognize this is an audacious claim. There are, alas, many companies that could claim for this dubious honor. But this report provides extensive and compelling evidence to back it up. (Find the link for the report at the end of this post).
Henry Waxman – former member of congress – Chairman of Mighty Earth.
Henry Waxman.
„The worst company in the world“ – from the perspective of the environmental organization „Mighty Earth“ applies to the US group Cargill. Never heard? So it would be to many other consumers too. However, local supermarkets and well-known brands also sell products from the Agrarian Giant, which is said to be responsible for child labor and massive environmental pollution.
Child labor on a cocoa farm.
In the eyes of the non-governmental organization „Mighty Earth“, the agricultural concern Cargill is „the worst company in the world“. „We know that’s a bold statement,“ environmentalists write at the beginning of their detailed report on the US company.
It says, „But when it comes to the world’s biggest problems – environmental degradation, air and water pollution, global warming, the displacement of indigenous peoples, child labor and global poverty – Cargill is not just on the planet last place of those who fight against it, but drives the problems to an extent that puts all competitors in the shade.
Consumers hardly can miss Cargill.
If you think again, „Who?“, You are certainly not alone. But even if many consumers worldwide can not do anything with the name, they have almost certainly ever bought products with Cargill components.
Cargill worldwide. Click on pic to supersize.
The company, which claims to own more then 160,000 employees in over 70 countries, with clients in more then 125 countries, is involved in just about everything that is used in food production:
Cargill is the world’s largest producer of minced beef and hamburger patties.
Cargill grows and trades grain and oil-seeds and processes the raw materials into plant oils, for example.
Cargill is one of the leading suppliers of animal feed and feed additives.
Cargill produces ethyl and drinking alcohol, cocoa, chocolate, malt, starch for thickening and stabilizing, sweeteners, lecithins and proteins.
Cargill manufactures chemicals and additives for the cosmetics industry. And much more.
McDonald’s is one of the company’s big customers, and Burger King also sources Cargill meat. Several international supermarket chains (including Aldi and Edeka in Germany) work together with Cargill, as well as companies whose products are on the food shelves in this country, such as Nestlé, Danone and Arla.
Massive deforestation for soy cultivation in Brazil.
Child labor, rain forest clearing, unhealthy meat.
The environmentalists of „Mighty Earth“ have, according to their own words, been researching Cargill’s business for many years and have also compiled research results from authorities and other organizations. Your judgment is devastating. Here is a selection:
* In South America, Cargill has let large areas of rainforest be cut down to grow soya. The goal set in 2014 of guaranteeing across the entire supply chain that no rainforest will be cleared for the manufacture of its products by 2020 will not be sustained, according to Mighty Earth.
* Many Indians of Brazil have lost their habitat by clearing the rainforest for soya plantations. For others, health has suffered: cancer and other diseases caused by pesticides and herbicides have increased. Similarly, the number of miscarriages and disabilities in newborns.
* The group is said to have bought cocoa from plantations in the Ivory Coast, where children had to work, up to 14 hours a day, with poor pay, low food and beatings. The children were said to have been kidnapped by Mali to the Ivory Coast.
* The International Labor Rights Fund has filed suit against Cargill on its behalf.
* In Colombia, the company is said to have acquired 52,000 hectares of land illegally, with the help of 36 subsidiary companies founded solely for this purpose.
They are so big meantime, that they can do what they want. Unstoppable.
* Several times Cargill has sold contaminated meat: In 2001, the company had to recall 254,000 burger patties because E. coli bacteria were found. Due to salmonella, the company had to withdraw 2.8 million pounds of minced meat in 2002. The US Department of Health (CDC) attributed one death, 17 hospitalizations and 47 other illnesses to the consumption of meat.
Pink Slime – a way to turn trash into cash. Cargill, the world largest minced beef producer – trash to cash !
* Cargill is one of the biggest polluters in the US food industry in terms of pollutants like lead, asbestos or mercury.
* The Commodity Futures Trading Comission, a US regulator of options markets, has imposed a $ 10 million fine on the company in 2017. The reason: Cargill had mispriced its trading volume by up to 90 percent in order to save taxes.
One of Cargill’s turkey farms.
„Mighty Earth“ stresses that it initially held the report for several months in front of the public in order to give Cargill the opportunity to bring about improvements. But nothing had happened except empty promises. Therefore, the organization decided to publish.
The pic above shows one small part of this world wide giant. Cargill may have more power to protect the climate, water, food safety, public health and human rights than any other company in history, the authors write – or destroy all that !!! And that happens !!!
Above, one part of the „Cargill-Connection“.
Just click on this link and get further information:
https://preview.shorthand.com/qfu6yKGKbYPR7Td1#group-section-FFLknFni6U
