Saying No to Profits

The usual debate among French lovers of Petit LU cookies is whether it's best to nibble the crunchy, golden corners of the wafer first or to bite immediately into the heart of the biscuit to release its buttery, vanilla-scented flavor. But these days Petit LU fans are struggling with a different dilemma: whether to boycott their beloved cookies as part of a growing French revolt against the job-reducing impacts of globalization and its emphasis on shareholder value.

Petit LU and scores of other brands produced by the French food group Danone became boycott targets after the company revealed...