ConAgra Foods produces a vast assortment of popular national brands including Chef Boyardee, Orville Redenbacher’s and Manwich, to name a few. Take a walk in any commissary and you’re sure to see an assortment of ConAgra’s brands for sale to the families of our military service members. In fact, in 2009 alone ConAgra posted $132 million in sales with the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), $16 million with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), and an additional $1.3 million with the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) .

Unfortunately, ConAgra reaps the rewards of our military as customers but doesn’t strive to use veteran-owned businesses in its supplier program. According to its Supplier Information page, “ConAgra Foods, Inc. is committed to providing qualified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) with opportunities to compete for business with ConAgra Foods as a prime supplier or a second-tier supplier. We are steadily pursuing business relationships with more MWBE suppliers.”

Perhaps its time for our active military families and veterans to purchase products from ConAgra’s competitors until it decides to treat veteran-owned businesses with the same courtesy and inclusion as other diverse small businesses.

To see a complete list of ConAgra’s brands visit http://www.conagrafoodscompany.com/corporate/brands/index.jsp

To learn more about ConAgra’s Supplier Diversity program visit http://www.conagrafoodscompany.com/corporate/b2b/supplier_diversity.jsp

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