Most grocery brands look independent. Many aren't. Traced maps corporate ownership webs, investigates what's really inside the packaging, and connects you to local makers who exist outside that system.
Four companies control more grocery shelf space than most people realize. Click any card to explore the full ownership web — every brand they own, what changed after acquisition, and how they obscure it.
Unlike Kellogg's or Nestlé, these firms don't make food — they invest in brands, scale them, and exit. The brand stays. The ownership changes. Most consumers never know it happened.
A founder builds a brand with genuine values. PE firm invests at growth stage — providing capital for distribution and marketing. The brand scales rapidly. Then either: (a) the PE firm sells to a conglomerate, or (b) holds and quietly optimizes margins.
PE investment is not inherently bad — but it's a leading indicator. Watch for: rapid SKU expansion, reduced ingredient quality, "family of brands" language appearing on packaging, sudden distribution into mass-market chains.
PE ownership is rarely disclosed on packaging. The brand's website still features the founder's story. The Instagram still posts farmer photos. The ingredient list may not change — yet. The financial relationship already has.
Grocery store meat and fish labeling has three overlapping problems: origin claims that mean less than they sound, quality terms with no federal definition, and a supply chain so fragmented that even the retailer often can't trace it. We went through the regulatory history, the Oceana fraud data, and the USDA loopholes — chapter by chapter.
Every corporate ownership story on Traced leads to real independent alternatives — farmers markets, specialty makers, and local shops with genuine sourcing transparency near you.
Farmers markets, specialty makers, and independent shops — each listed with a specific sourcing reason, not just an address.
Each vendor is listed with a specific why-it-belongs-here explanation relative to the brands we investigate — not just a directory entry.
Fast scan first. Expand for receipts. Every story links to owner webs, category indexes, and local alternatives.
Every index scores brands across ownership, ingredient integrity, certifications, and labor record. Sortable, filterable, expandable.
Every day Traced users read about what a corporate brand isn't — then immediately want to know what's near them instead. If you're an independent maker, market, or shop with a real sourcing story, you belong in this network.