Big food companies have an endless appetite for smaller brands that make local, organic and socially responsible products. Over the years, Danone acquired Stonyfield Farm yogurt, General Mills bought Annie's Homegrown and Campbell Soup swallowed up Plum Organics. Each time such a deal is announced, fans of the target company ask whether its cherished products will be safe under the new owner, or if the integrity will disappear in the belly of the beast. There is reason for concern. Starbucks acquired La Boulange, a San Francisco bakery chain that made healthful organic breads, in 2012. This year Starbucks announced it was shutting down the bakeries but keeping the brand name alive. And before it became a case study on how such marriages can succeed, Unilever's takeover of Ben & Jerry's got off to a rocky start.