By Lily Bourne
Compiled in 2012 by Oxfam—an organization dedicated to fighting injustice—the infamous food monopoly chart has made its way from scientific papers to Reddit to James Marshall’s WHAP class. The chart provides a visual representation of the “Big 10” food companies and their evident monopolies over our everyday consumption. Kellogg’s, General Mills, Pepsico, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Danone, Mars, Mondeles, and Associated British Foods control hundreds of brands under different names. While the brands on the edges may present as their own unique company, their illusion of individuality is broken by this illuminating overview of the food monopolies. According to a study conducted by The Guardian, 79% of the groceries in an average grocery basket of 61 foods are sold by four firms or fewer. No matter the variety of food, big brands’ monopolies run deep. In the dip market, PepsiCo controls 88% of the market, owning Tostitos, Lay’s, and Fritos. In the soda market, 93% of the drinks are owned by three companies, and in the cereal market, 73% of the boxes are created by either General Mills, Kellogg, or Post.
Why do these monopolies continue to exist? Well, money talks and big food corporations want to continue profiting off of everyday consumers. So they use some of those profits to lobby politicians and secure continued business ventures. According to The Guardian, the food industry spent $175 million on political contributions during the 2020 election cycle. All industries contribute to this campaign since putting profits before customers and worker safety leaves more money in the pockets of big business owners. Well, you may ask, why don’t farmers just fight back? Shouldn’t they be able to control where their products go? Not really. Most American farmers are struggling in the quickly changing economy, with farm debt reaching levels not seen since the 1980s farm crisis. They rely on government subsidies that encourage the growth of cash crops, namely corn, wheat, and soybeans. By incentivizing farmers to grow the same few crops, the government can effectively lower prices for consumers, contributing to the demand for these products. However, lower prices keep farmers in debt and force them back into reliance on further government subsidies. Thus, farmers fall victim to the whims of whatever big businesses choose to lobby for, with no financial stability to back themselves.
On the federal level, President Biden has signed an executive order calling on government agencies to enforce antitrust laws, discourage mega-mergers, and take action to protect farmers from abuse in the meat industry. However, these changes lack bi-partisan support and face a hard road before real action can be made. To avoid supporting the food industry’s monopolies, consumers must alter their personal decisions when purchasing food. Try visiting local farmers’ markets and small businesses for products, or, even better, grow your own food! Small-scale changes can have a large-scale impact when coupled together, and combatting the food industry starts at a local level, so get out there and get some real food!