Wesson cooking oil facts for kids
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| Owner | Richardson International |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Introduced | 1899 |
| Previous owners | Southern Oil Company Beatrice Foods Conagra Foods |
| Website | Wesson Oil |
Wesson cooking oil is a well-known brand of vegetable oil. It is made in Memphis, Tennessee, and sold by a company called Richardson International.
Long ago, Wesson oil was made only from cottonseed oil. But since 2009, Wesson products are mixtures of different oils. These can include canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, or sunflower oil.
Contents
History of Wesson Oil
How Wesson Oil Started
Wesson oil began as a product of the Southern Cotton Oil Company. It was named after David Wesson (1861–1934). He was a food scientist who, in 1899, found a new way to make cottonseed oil smell better. This led to the first all-vegetable shortening made from cottonseeds. This new product was called Snowdrift.
The factory in Savannah, Georgia, was built in 1911. It was taken down in 2004. In the 1920s, the part of the company that made vegetable oil became its own business. It was named the Wesson Oil & Snowdrift Company.
Later, in 1960, this company joined with Hunt's Foods, Inc. They became Hunt-Wesson Foods. This company then joined with Beatrice Foods. In 1990, the Wesson brand was sold to ConAgra Foods, along with many other brands from Beatrice.
Lawsuit About Advertising
In July 2011, two lawsuits were filed against ConAgra. People said that ConAgra claimed Wesson oil was "pure and natural." However, the oil used genetically modified corn and soy. The lawsuits argued that ConAgra used this claim to charge more money. They also said it helped them take customers from other oil brands.
In March 2019, the companies agreed to a settlement. This meant they would pay about $27 million. This agreement was waiting for a final court approval.
Plans to Sell the Company
In March 2018, Conagra Brands Inc. and J. M. Smucker Co. planned a deal. Smucker wanted to buy the Wesson brand. But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit. The FTC said that if Smucker bought Wesson, it would control too much of the market. They believed Smucker would control at least 70 percent of the market for canola and vegetable oils. Because of this, the companies stopped their deal.
On December 18, 2018, Conagra announced a new plan. They agreed to sell Wesson to Richardson International, Limited. Richardson International is a large agriculture company from Canada. They have many facilities in Canada, the US, and Britain.
Wesson Logo and Jingle
The Wesson logo was designed by Saul Bass in 1964.
The famous actress Florence Henderson was the longtime spokesperson for Wesson cooking oil. She sang the well-known jingle. The word "Wessonality" was created by a writer named Mark Itkowitz in 1976. He worked at an advertising agency called BBDO New York. Florence Henderson appeared in Wesson TV commercials for many years, from 1976 until 1996.
