Scale matters. Sure, it's nice that Patagonia cares about the environment, but time has taught us that the collective actions of smaller companies are only substantive when they alter the behavior of much larger companies. Among that subset of companies, there are none much larger and more influential than Walmart and, as the article in the url below reminds us, when Walmart acts, the whole country is affected:
"Walmart is taking the biggest step yet to overhaul ingredients used in America's food supply. The country's largest grocer said Wednesday that it was working to remove synthetic dyes from all its store-brand foods, including Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed and Bettergoods. Walmart also plans to eliminate 30 other ingredients, ranging from certain artificial sweeteners to preservatives."
Whatever the motivating factor and stakeholder influence, and clearly politics is influencing this decision, when Walmart decides to do something there is a ripple effect far beyond the firm and throughout its supply chain:
"Walmart's heft makes its plans likely to trigger further changes throughout the nation's food-supply chain, from ingredient suppliers to other food makers and retailers. Great Value alone is one of the largest consumer brands in the country, with billions of dollars in sales each year."
This influence has grown larger in recent years, as consumers shift to buying more store brands to save money:
"Retailers are boosting investment in their in-house brands, with Walmart last year launching Bettergoods, a food line with trendy flavors and more natural ingredients."
The article also reveals how long it can take shifting stakeholder values to influence corporate decisions:
"For years, Walmart's customer data has shown that more shoppers want simple, natural ingredients, said Scott Morris, senior vice president for food and consumable private brands at Walmart U.S. More than 50% of Walmart shoppers now flip over a food package to look at ingredients, he said."
But, when that decision is made, especially in a company Walmart's size, we have the opportunity to make meaningful progress:
"Walmart plans to tweak more than 1,000 products across its stores gradually, in part to give ingredient suppliers time to meet its volume and cost needs, Morris said. Supplies of natural ingredients are still constrained, but growing."
Have a good weekend
David
David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)
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In Nod to MAHA, Walmart Ditches Dyes, Other Artificial Ingredients in Its Food Brands
By Jesse Newman and Sarah Nassauer
October 2, 2025
The Wall Street Journal
