Kraft Drops Membership In Conservative Group ALEC

WASHINGTON -- Under pressure from the advocacy group ColorofChange, Kraft Foods Inc. said Thursday night it would end its support for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the conservative lobbying group that has backed state "Stand Your Ground" gun laws.

In its statement, Kraft said that it will not renew its membership in ALEC when it expires this spring. The global food manufacturer said there were a "number of reasons" for the split, but did not specifically mention the advocacy campaign against ALEC:

We belong to many external groups, including ALEC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes growth and fiscal responsibility.

ALEC covers numerous issues but our involvement has been strictly limited to discussions about economic growth and development, transportation and tax policy. We did not participate in meetings or conversations related to other issues.

Our membership in ALEC expires this spring and for a number of reasons, including limited resources, we have made the decision not to renew.

ALEC supports conservative, business-friendly legislation, drafting model bills for lawmakers to introduce in state capitals around the country. The Florida shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, whose killer has avoided charges in part because of the state's Stand Your Ground law, has brought fresh attention to the law and role ALEC played in its passage.

"We welcome Kraft's decision to stop supporting ALEC, an organization which has worked to disenfranchise African-Americans, Latinos, students, the elderly, the disabled, and the poor," ColorOfChange executive director Rashad Robinson said. "We reached out to Kraft months ago and have been in dialogue with them since then to convey the concerns of more than 85,000 ColorOfChange members who called on major corporations to stop supporting ALEC."

ALEC did not immediately return a request for comment.

Kraft joins Coca-Cola and Pepsico in ending relationships with ALEC. Coca-Cola's announcement came just hours after ColorofChange launched its campaign.

"Our involvement with ALEC was focused on efforts to oppose discriminatory food and beverage taxes, not on issues that have no direct bearing on our business," Coke said in a statement. "We have a longstanding policy of only taking positions on issues that impact our company and industry."

Pepsico later said it would not renew its membership for 2012. An ALEC spokesman told NPR that Pepsi told the group it had pulled out for financial reasons.

ALEC still has other corporate backers that have said they're sticking with the group, including Pfizer Inc. and Koch Companies Public Sector LLC.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[Amie Warren]

11:01 AM on 06/09/2012

Of course Kochs are standing by ALEC...they ARE ALEC.

[Lisa Reece Bowers]

09:11 AM on 04/13/2012

Thanks for the info....I'll boycott McDonalds, Pepsi, Coke, Intuit, Kraft, Arby's & Walgreens.

[johnsonephrem3]

02:44 PM on 04/07/2012

I have a huge question...How come the stand your ground law only applies to George Zimmerman? He is guilty by his own admission on the 911 tapes. Trayvon Martin was minding his own business when he encountered George Zimmerman so theres no way that Trayvon could've been the aggresser. The stand your ground law is an inventation for murder and it should be repealed.

[Amie Warren]

11:24 AM on 06/09/2012

Yes, and that law is also on trial, not just Zimmerman. On trial also is how law enforcement uses the law to shield white people who kill.

[Robert Fanney]

02:12 PM on 04/07/2012

ALEC has pushed a number of laws that have done dramatic harm to our democracy. Please help put pressure on ALEC's corporate supporters by signing this petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/at-t-corporate-funders-stop-funding-alec-or-face-boycott

[CarmenPhoenix]

01:07 PM on 04/07/2012

Boycott LEC contributor, CARGIL, Pink slime producer & ingredient supplier to the following and many more companies:

Diamond Crystal® salt (US)
Truvia™ natural sweetener (US)
Peter's® Chocolate (US)
Wilbur® Chocolate (US)
Honeysuckle White® turkey (US)
Shady Brook Farms® turkey (US)
Sterling Silver® premium meats (US)
Rumba® meats (US)
Tender Choice® pork (Puerto Rico and US)
Good Nature™ pork (US)

[Tasleem Qaasim]

06:56 AM on 04/07/2012

These are the for-profit corporations that has financial supported ALEC’s agenda to SUPPRESS THE VOTE, IMMIGRATION, END WORKERS RIGHTS, SUPPORT "THE RIGHT TO KILL" LAWS and SUPPORT THE "WAR ON WOMEN”. Speak with your voice and your dollars. WE WILL NOT SUPPORT THE END OF OUR OWN FREEDOM!
AMAZON.COM
▪ American Express Company
▪ JEWELS STORES
▪ America West Airlines (now US Airways)
▪ Amway Corporation
▪ ARCO
▪ AT&T
▪ Bank of America
▪ Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
▪ Boeing Corporation
▪ Chevron Corporation
COMCAST
▪ Dell
▪ Enron Corporation
▪ Excel Telecommunication
▪ ExxonMobil Corporation
▪ FedEx,
▪ Ford Motor Co
▪ Frito-Lay Inc.
▪ Fruit of the Loom
GEICO
▪ General Electric
▪ General Motors Corporation
▪ HP,
▪ Humana Corporation
▪ IBM
▪ Intuit, Inc.
▪ JC Penney Co.
▪ Koch Industries and Koch Industries Public Sector,
▪ Kraft Food,
▪ Mary Kay Cosmetics
MCDONALD Corporation,
▪ Microsoft Corporation[5]
▪ Miller Brewing Company
▪ Nestlé USA Inc.
▪ Pepsi-Cola
▪ Quaker Oats
▪ Procter & Gamble,
▪ Sara Lee Corporation
▪ Shell Oil Company
▪ Sony Corp.
▪ Southern California Edison
▪ State Farm Insurance Co
▪ Texaco Inc.
▪ Time Warner
▪ Tropicana (now owned by PepsiCo
▪ United Airlines
▪ UnitedHealthcare
▪ United Parcel Service (UPS),
▪ Visa,
▪ Walgreens, "
▪ Wall Street Journal
WAL MART
YUM! Brands (owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver's and A&W

[mcqball]

12:55 PM on 04/07/2012

Thanks for posting this list; it is a valuable service. But does HP stand for Hewlitt Packard or Helmerich and Payne?

[CarmenPhoenix]

12:58 PM on 04/07/2012

We need boycott the companies strategically by focusing on companies who's products and services most Americans purchase or use often, excluding energy companies, oil, airlines, pharmaceutical prescription products, and vehicles.

We need to focus on basic needs and leisure purchases:

AMAZON.com
American Express
Jewel -Osco Stores--owned by Super Valu & includes:
ACME®, ALBERTSONS®, CUB®, FARM FRESH®, HORNBACHER'S®, JEWEL-OSCO®, SHAW'S/STAR MARKET®, SHOP ‘N SAVE® and SHOPPERS®.

▪ Bank of America
CAGILL-- is a supplier for many products used daily
COMCAST
▪ Dell
▪ FedEx,
▪ Ford Motor Co
▪ Frito-Lay Inc.
▪ Fruit of the Loom
GEICO
▪ General Electric
▪ General Motors Corporation
▪ HP,
▪ Humana Corporation
▪ IBM
▪ Intuit, Inc.--Dropped ALEC membership
▪ JC Penney Co.
▪ Koch Industries and Koch Industries Public Sector,
GP Pacific: Angel Soft, Dixie & many more products--owned by KOCH brothers
▪ Kraft Food,-will let membership expire
▪ Mary Kay Cosmetics
MCDONALD Corporation,
▪ Microsoft Corporation[5]
▪ Miller Brewing Company
▪ Nestlé USA Inc.
▪ Pepsi-Cola
▪ Quaker Oats
▪ Procter & Gamble,
▪ Sara Lee Corporation
▪ Sony Corp.
▪ Time Warner
▪ Tropicana (now owned by PepsiCo
▪ United Airlines
▪ United Parcel Service (UPS),
▪ Visa,
▪ Walgreens
Wendy's
▪ Wall Street Journal
WAL MART
YUM! Brands (owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver's and A&W

[SWarrenWells]

07:11 AM on 11/04/2012

Mary Kay Cosmetics announced April 19, 2012, that it would pull out of ALEC..I am still researching but I did find one article. There is a list of Corporations that have cut ties to ALEC ...(http://www.alecexposed.org)

[Linda from Deerfield]

08:47 PM on 04/06/2012

I am so impressed by what Color of Change has done to embarrass corporations out of their ALEC support. Let's hope this is just the beginning of the end for ALEC. I would be willing to bet that ALEC is behind the recent wave of state anti-women legislation -- I've not encountered any other means of coordination of the far right agenda.

[duggal]

08:18 PM on 04/06/2012

Go to: http://www.alec.org/about-alec/private-enterprise-board/ to see who supports them.
Besides AT&T, State Farm, Bayer, WalMart the list goes on.
Social Media can make a difference.

[USAGramma]

07:09 PM on 04/06/2012

Once I hear their contract has expired I'll go back to buying Kraft Foods products. I miss my Cadbury eggs. ;o)

[Indygrl76]

05:50 PM on 04/06/2012

Well of course Pfizer and Koch will stick with ALEC-- it's their organization!!! This is the opportunity for consumers who care about this country, our neighbors, our children, and the environment to take a meaningful stand against these corporate machines that have been running our country, the political process, and Congress. Through social networking we can stand together to boycott the companies that support Koch et. al. It is the only way we have a chance of getting our country back-- not from modernization-- but back from the cronyism that tried to destroy working Americans 100 years ago and are back at it in earnest now. We, the people, can make a difference by voting with our pocketbook-- at least we can make it a somewhat more fair fight!

[TFlint]

04:15 PM on 04/06/2012

ALEC is the most dangerous group in America.

[Linda from Deerfield]

08:47 PM on 04/06/2012

It does appear to be the case -- as far as we know.

[samsausagehead]

04:07 PM on 04/06/2012

Why didn't Kraft stand it's ground? These company will do anything to avoid bad publicity.
By the way, Kraft will sneak back into loving arms of ALEC disguised as drunken pasta spiral.

[LeftLeanWing]

03:31 PM on 04/06/2012

ALEC Corporations List http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Corporations”

[cynical one]

06:57 PM on 04/06/2012

That's pretty much every corporation in this country.

[westcoastie]

03:18 PM on 04/06/2012

Smart move Kraft. Extremism does not go hand in hand with mainstream American brands. More neon orange mac and cheese all around.

[soonerliberal]

02:52 PM on 04/06/2012

Again, I hope we have a similar event to when Limpy started losing advertisers.