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The Open Markets Institute's longstanding newsletter on corporate power in the food system, now on Substack.

Food & Power is now on Substack! The Open Markets Institute launched the Food & Power website and newsletter in 2016 to document and investigate the harms of corporate consolidation in the food system.

Shockingly few corporations control the supply chains that put food on our tables. Just four companies sell half of all seeds and 60% of all farm chemicals worldwide. In the U.S., two companies sell half of all farm equipment, four companies process 80% of all beef, and five large retailers sell nearly half of all groceries. For individual farmers trying to sell their crops or animals, local levels of consolidation are even higher.

Putting all this power in so few hands helps Wall Street and hurts just about everyone else. Farmers struggle with rising prices for their basic needs and lower, more volatile prices for their harvest. Consumers face fewer grocery stores, higher prices, and an illusion of choice in the shopping aisle. Workers struggle with fewer employers who are more likely to engage in wage-fixing schemes and union busting.

The wider community suffers as concentrated economic power translates into perverse political power to push against basic environmental accountability and labor protections. The food system is one of the largest drivers of health disparities, species loss, climate change, and water pollution. Any transition towards a more equitable, sustainable, and healthy future must start by taking on monopoly power.

For eight years, Food & Power has held powerful corporate actors to account and shined a light on the unexpected monopolies hiding in every nook and cranny of the food system. We’ve exposed private equity’s roll-up of refrigerated warehouses, a candy giant’s takeover of pet food and veterinary clinics, and the meat industry’s expansion into the sea. We also break down big developments in antimonopoly law and policy, from the latest rulemaking at USDA to ongoing lawsuits against corporate price-fixing and mega-mergers in the food industry.

Don’t miss out on another issue – subscribe to get Food & Power in your inbox every other Thursday!