Week 7

Hey Everyone! We’re back for another week of Salaaz’s Weekly Newsletter. We’re glad to be here, and can’t wait to jump in. Since we’re entering the holiday season, and the isles are going to be lined with chocolates and confectionaries, and healthcare gift packs - we want to make sure you know what you should stay away from!

Ferrero: Yes, Nutella and Ferrero Rocher are Boycotted

Holidays are coming up, and we all know grocery stores are lining up their isles with holiday chocolates and confectionaries. Putting up some classic year on year favourites, pre-packaged in great gift packaging, in all shapes, sizes, and budget ranges. Unfortunately, Ferrero owns a lot or classics, Ferrero Rocher, Nutella, Kinder, Tic Tac, Fox Cookies and many more.

Ferrero has one of their headquarters located in Tel Aviv, you can find the details on their website. But we don’t just boycott because of location, but Ferrero has partnered up with Incredo LTD, a Israeli startup that creates artificial sweetener. And as of now, artificial sweeteners are considered a wild card to our gut health, and until we can truly say they’re safe, we should stay away and stick to natural sugars.

They have still seen year over year revenue growth according to their financial reports:

• ~$13.4 billion USD in 2021

• ~$14.8 billion USD in 2022

• ~$18 billion USD in 2023

Now that you know Ferrero is actively operating and sustaining Israel’s economy, but also introducing an Israeli artificial sweetener into all your classics, will you look at their chocolate or Nutella spreads the same?

Canadian from Day One: Laura Secord Chocolates

I know we’ve previously spoken about Russel Stover (Lindt) and Camino, but now when you walk past Laura Secord in the mall, make sure to do a double take. Laura Secord is a Canadian founded, owned, and continues to be fully Canadian franchise and corporation. You know we love supporting local, and what better than a company who’s vision is “The best chocolate and ice cream experience in Canada”.

We recommend sourcing Laura Secord, Canada’s Largest Chocolatier these holidays for your chocolate gifts, ingredients, ice cream or whenever you’re feeling a sweet treat and we’re happy to see their numbers:

• Over 70 locations Canada-wide

• Headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario

• Over $182.7 million in revenue in 2023

• Parent company Nutriart is Rainforest Alliance Certified focusing on sustainable and ethical sourcing.

Supporting local always feels better, especially when they design to improve farmer incomes and well-beings while protecting the land.

Soaps: Clean Products, Dirty Business.

Dove and Axe, these are two brands that we’ve all grown up on. One was for men, the other was unisex (for our male readers, don’t pretend like you didn’t use Dove body wash, bar soaps, or shampoos at one point or another). It’s no secret that Unilever, their parent company prioritized profits over everything, but this year they’ve done what companies don’t normally do; they scaled back their environment and social pledges. It’s no secret, Unilever has a history of coming under ethical scrutiny, Forbes issued an article in 2017 on Unilever’s failure of corporate & social responsibility, citing issues from 2009.

But let’s look at some key highlights from this year:

• Unilever will use 100,000 tonnes more plastic every year than initially pledged

• Unilever abandoned their pledge to pay direct suppliers a living wage by 2030

• Unilever abandoned a their commitment to employ 5% of their workforce as people with disabilities

• Unilever has also been cited for their terrible sourcing of palm oils, which is used in many of their food and health products destroying forests and offering terrible employment conditions

Don’t get us wrong, we understand as companies sometimes you have to prioritize profits - but where do you draw the line? Above all else, paying suppliers a decent living wage should be mandatory for all companies. And remember, this is just the tip of the ice berg.

Better Health Care: Soap Bars Are Still In! The Soap Bar Takeover

There isn’t one company that can replace all Unilever products, but we will show you some health care alternatives. Did you know, going back to bar soap, might be the best choice for you. You can always find local suppliers of fresh local soap made with all natural ingredients at a bulk barn, or even farmers markets! We’d also like to shout out to a personal favourite, Dr. Squatch - yes they mostly advertise to men, but their bar soaps will make you stop using liquid body wash, and make you feel cleaner than before. Plus, they’re conscientious:

• Donated more than 11.9 million soap bars

• Recycled more than 1.19kg of soap

• Revenue peaked over $200 million USD in 2023

Yes, this is a repost, but it’s definitely another strong contender here - Green Beaver, by prioritizing cruelty-free practices, refusing animal testing, and making their products in Canada. From cleaning supplies to healthcare, almost entirely vegan-friendly products and having some of the most certs in the industry for sustainability and ethical practices, they cover it all.

Let’s look back towards some local sellers - and spend some time considering the products we use to clean ourselves every single day.

We hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter, give us your feedback below and we look forward to seeing you again next week!