Most grocery stores in the West belong to a few major corporations, producing uniform Kroger-brand products despite local store names. A handful of companies control production and distribution, with major players like JBS S.A. and Driscoll's headquartered in Colorado and California. Corporations focus on branding, processing and shipping rather than primary production. Consolidation erodes family farm profitability and complicates direct-to-consumer sales through regulatory and financial barriers. Berry-pickers and meatpacking workers, often immigrants, face exploitation and unsafe conditions amid uneven state protections. Food insecurity has risen across the West, even as some Republican-led states opted out of federal summer grocery programs for children. Historic land and water policies and romanticized cattle culture perpetuate regional power imbalances.
Most grocery stores across the West trace back to a few major corporations. Whether you're visiting King Soopers in Colorado, Smith's in Utah or Fred Meyer in Oregon, you'll find the same Kroger-brand products. The original names of the once-locally owned grocers might remain, but the shops are now just part of one of the nation's largest grocery corporations. A handful of companies control the production and distribution of most of our food, and the West plays a leading role in that system.
This global food system has profound impacts on the West's farmers, workers and consumers. It's getting harder for family farms to turn a profit, and those who seek alternatives to the consolidated corporate market must navigate complicated policies and finances in order to sell directly to consumers. Berry-pickers and meatpacking workers - often immigrants - face exploitation and unsafe conditions, with workplace protections varying from state to state.
#corporate-consolidation #family-farms #agricultural-labor-exploitation #food-insecurity #western-land-and-water-policy
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