Marin Institute

Marin Institute Opposes InBev Takeover of Anheuser-Busch

Attends Shareholder Meeting in New Jersey

SAN RAFAEL, CA (November 12, 2008) – In Secaucus New Jersey today, Marin Institute attended what may well be the last ever Anheuser-Busch (A-B) shareholder meeting held on U.S. soil. Charisse Ma Lebron, Corporate Responsibility & Advocacy Manager at Marin Institute, represented the organization’s opposition to the sale of A-B to Belgium-based InBev Corporation.

“It’s just not a good deal,” stated Ms. Lebron. “A-B leadership has compromised the financial security of its employees and their respective communities that depend upon the company’s economic contribution.”

Though the takeover includes a tentative “good faith commitment” that InBev will not close any of A-B’s current 12 U.S. breweries, there are loopholes. For example, increased federal or state beer taxes or “unforeseen extraordinary events” that negatively impact business could allow InBev to renege on that promise, leaving A-B’s breweries and their tens of thousands of employees vulnerable to closures.

“Federal and state beer taxes will have to be increased, given the global economic downturn, gaping budget deficits, and the urgency to reduce underage drinking,” Lebron said. It’s not a matter of if, but when taxes will be increased, and when they are, InBev will close breweries and cut costs without mercy.” Just this week, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed increasing state taxes on all alcohol.

InBev has earned an international reputation as an unscrupulous company, instituting cost-cutting measures whenever it sees fit. Also, while the new entity, Anheuser-Busch/InBev, will have a U.S. headquarters in St. Louis, MO, the parent corporation is located offshore, raising questions about corporate accountability to lawmakers, regulators, and especially local communities.

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