My GOW Action Project

            For my Grapes of Wrath Action Project, I decided that I would like to work with pet supply companies and the corporations that they are linked to.  I wanted to know more about the production of their pet foods and treats, where they get their ingredients, and if they frequently audit their products to ensure quality.  At first I wasn’t sure of which corporation I would like to work with for this project and was interested in getting answers from several of the major pet food brands on the market.  I finally narrowed it down to three corporations to contact: Nestle Purina, Mars Pedigree, and Del Monte Foods, who manufactures several different brands of dog treats.  In a first attempt, I emailed all three companies explaining what I was doing and asking them the questions that I had previously thought out.  I also asked if there was any way to speak to the head of the company or at least the Director of that specific brand so that I could address my concerns.  I figured that this would be a good starting point, and from here, I would be able to talk my way to the top if I approached it with a level head.  I still have not heard back from Del Monte Foods, but have received word from the other two.  I heard back from Purina first, who wrote me back a very generic e-mail.  It was very vague, and I could tell that the person who had responded back to me just copied and pasted from another file.  There were even several of the same sentences repeated over and over again throughout the whole thing.  They didn’t even address my request to speak to a Director or CEO.  Shocked that they would even call that customer service, I decided that I would give them a call.  The next day, I called the only phone number given on the website, and was directly connected to customer service.  I told them that I had a few questions about the production and manufacturing of their products, and asked if I could speak to the Director of Purina or if not, have a way to contact him.  They asked me if I had tried e-mail and when I said I had, they asked for my address so they could pull it up.  I finally thought I was getting somewhere.  I waited for a long time until the woman on the other line told me that it was against company policy to release the information that I was asking for.  She would not let me speak to anyone else, and would only answer my questions with a “yes” or “no.”  When I tried to inquire further about the information I received from them in the e-mail, they tried to tell me that what I was saying was incorrect.  It was clearly correct if they had sent it to me in an e-mail the day before.  I found the way that the situation was handled ridiculous and unfair to the customer.  All other attempts to try to contact the Director of the Purina branch of Nestle have been failures or unable to accomplish up to this point.  However, I am still determined to get a complete answer from them.  My attempts to contact Pedigree were more successful.  I emailed Mars Petcare US, the biggest branch of the company which Pedigree falls under, and asked them the same questions that I asked Purina.  I immediately got a confirmation e-mail back from them stating that my e-mail was being reviewed by a customer service representative who would try to meet my needs.  A day later, I received an e-mail from their corporate affairs office who said that while the person who I would like to speak to is very busy and would be unreachable in the time that I would like to have this information by, they would be more than happy to answer the questions that I had right there directly.  I got all the answers that I wanted in a personalized e-mail, and felt that although I was unable to get to the top, I was able to understand their procedures for handling their pet foods and managing the quality. 

I believe that this project relates to The Grapes of Wrath in that the farmers that were kicked off their land and moved to California in search of work had a hard time reaching the people at the top, just like I had a difficult time reaching the Directors of these companies.  I can relate to the people in the novel even more now after going through similar frustrations.  The people in the novel never knew exactly who to contact or where to go to ask the questions, and I had similar issues along the way.  I also believe that the breaking through of the different layers of a Corporation in order to talk to the person you really want to talk to relates to The Grapes of Wrath.  In order to get the answers they were looking for, the farmers in the novel had to go through a similar chain starting with the owners of the land going all the way up to the Eastern Banks.  In the middle, it gets a little fuzzy as to who to contact next in order to move up the ladder even further, which is where I, along with many others, get stuck in the process.  There are so many barriers to protect those at the top that in some cases, it is virtually impossible without the right tools.  I believe that this project was assigned to us to help us realize just how stuck these farmers were and to help relate to them in a way we wouldn’t be able to otherwise.  I feel as though I have gained a deeper insight into not only the inner-workings of a Corporation, but of the novel and the Depression Era as well.