Kraft Bows To Customer Pressure, Ditches Ties With Conservative Lobbying Group

Consumers put enough of a lean on Kraft Foods that it’s giving up its relationship with the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative lobbying group that has backed voter ID and “stand your ground” laws. Coca-Cola also recently split with the group.

The Chicago Tribune cites a statement from Kraft that said it “made the decision not to renew” its expiring ALEC membership. It didn’t go into more detail about why it’s taken this course of action, just that it has “limited resources” and besides, it only talked to ALEC “about economic growth and development, transportation and tax policy.”

Coca-Cola announced it had “elected to discontinue its membership” in ALEC’s Private Enterprise Board after a boycott started by advocacy group Color of Change. Coca-Cola’s reason was ALEC’s support of “discriminatory food and beverage taxes,” and not “issues that have no direct bearing on our business.”

Of course, neither company will admit that consumer pressure was the catalyst. But whatever the excuse, that’s what we call breaking up.

Kraft drops membership in conservative group amid protest [Chicago Tribune]

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