Cargill has weakened its own deforestation commitments in the Amazon, was found liable for decades of water pollution in Oklahoma, and paid tens of millions to settle price-fixing and wage-fixing claims tied to its meat business. Those track records raise real questions about how the company operates.

Why are people boycotting Cargill?

The most common drivers are Cargill's role in Amazon deforestation, its liability for water pollution in Oklahoma, and the price-fixing and wage-fixing settlements tied to its beef and meatpacking operations.

What are the best ethical alternatives to Cargill?

For meat, US Wellness Meats offers independent, family-run grass-fed options delivered direct. For pantry staples, Wholesome makes Fair Trade organic sugar and Redmond Real Salt is a family-owned, independently mined salt.

Cargill

Flagged · Avoid

The largest privately held company in the U.S., trading grain, meat, and food ingredients worldwide.

Last updated September 27, 2026

Reasons to avoid

Issues span:EnvironmentAntitrustLabor

A federal court found Cargill jointly liable in December 2025 for decades of phosphorus pollution in Oklahoma's Illinois River Watershed from poultry waste. Cargill agreed in February 2026 to pay $6.5 million toward cleanup and dropped its appeal of that judgment.oklahoma.gov2026-02-12
Cargill agreed in 2025 to pay $32.5 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it and Tyson Foods of conspiring to fix U.S. beef prices by deliberately restricting supply. The case covered consumers who bought beef between 2014 and 2019, with an estimated class of 36 million people.mprnews.org2025-10-10
In December 2024, Cargill quietly loosened its Amazon soy sourcing policy, shifting the deforestation cutoff date it uses from 2008 to 2020. The change let it claim 99.3% of its soy as deforestation-free instead of 94%, permitting soy grown on millions of hectares cleared between 2008 and 2020.mongabay.com2025-02-13
Cargill agreed in 2024 to pay nearly $30 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it conspired with other major meatpackers to hold down worker wages. Workers said the companies shared confidential pay data through third parties to keep compensation artificially low across the industry.startribune.com2024-09-09

Brands owned by Cargill

Truvia
Diamond Crystal Salt
Honeysuckle White
Shady Brook Farms
Nutrena

Source: ebsco.com (as of 2026-09-27)

Ethical alternatives

Meat & Poultry

US Wellness Meats

Independent, family-run source for grass-fed and pasture-raised meat delivered direct to your door.

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Sweeteners

Wholesome

Fair Trade Certified organic cane sugar and other sweeteners.

🤝 Fair Trade🌿 Organic

Visit →

Salt

Redmond Real Salt

Unrefined, mineral-rich salt mined by a family-owned company in Utah since 1958.

👪 Family Owned

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Common Questions

Is Cargill ethical?: Cargill has weakened its own deforestation commitments in the Amazon, was found liable for decades of water pollution in Oklahoma, and paid tens of millions to settle price-fixing and wage-fixing claims tied to its meat business. Those track records raise real questions about how the company operates.
Why are people boycotting Cargill?: The most common drivers are Cargill's role in Amazon deforestation, its liability for water pollution in Oklahoma, and the price-fixing and wage-fixing settlements tied to its beef and meatpacking operations.
What are the best ethical alternatives to Cargill?: For meat, US Wellness Meats offers independent, family-run grass-fed options delivered direct. For pantry staples, Wholesome makes Fair Trade organic sugar and Redmond Real Salt is a family-owned, independently mined salt.