'The Illusion of Choice
When we pull back the curtain, only a handful of powerful companies own the sea of options we find at the grocery store. For example:
• Carrots: Two companies control 60% of the carrot supply.
• Prepared soups: Four companies own 70% of the prepared soups market.
• Almond milk: A whopping 81% of almond milk is owned by four companies.
• Dips: PepsiCo, with its popular brands like Tostitos, Lay’s, and Fritos, controls 88% of the dip market.
This illusion of choice stems from decades of lax antitrust enforcement that led to a wave of unchecked mergers and acquisitions across nearly all sectors of the food system. As these companies grew larger and more profitable, they accrued more power and influence. This undue power has enabled mega-corporations to rake in record profits by squeezing farmers and workers and charging consumers more at the grocery store.
Spotlight on Meatpacking: The Big Four
Meatpacking is one of the most consolidated industries in our food system. Of the more than 70 meat brands marketing to consumers and retailers under the guise of individual names and logos, just four corporations—Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef—are behind these brands.
These four meatpacking giants control a staggering 80-85% of the beef industry. They routinely make headlines for their abusive behaviors, from getting sued by other corporate goliaths like McDonald’s for price-fixing to lawsuits over the use of child labor in their meatpacking plants.
But these companies’ sheer dominance over this industry, deceptively hidden behind their acquired brands, means that it’s challenging to opt out of buying their products at the grocery store.
This level of corporate control in the meatpacking sector has devastated the industry: Farmers have been driven off their land, prices have increased for consumers, and our food supply is vulnerable to disruptions.'
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