Did you know that Walmart controls more than a 30% share in 44% of major U.S. grocery markets?
And in 29 of those markets, the company controls more than a 50% share.
August 31, 2010
United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Executive Summary
The Department of Justice/Department of Agriculture workshops investigating corporate consolidation in agricultural markets represent an enormous opportunity to rebuild and revitalize rural America by ensuring justice and fairness for working men and women across the food industry. Without a doubt, consolidation and concentration in the agricultural economy has caused decreasing incomes for farmers, ranchers, workers and the rural communities that depend on agriculture. Our rural communities, our food supply and the fate of a major portion of the American economy depend on us fixing this problem. However, we can’t solve this dilemma unless we are willing to look at the whole picture of the American food chain—from the farm to the grocery store shelf.
Without an adequate investigation into the critical role that consolidation at the retail grocery level—led by the world’s largest retailer, Walmart—we can’t get an accurate or adequate assessment on how to fix our broken agricultural economy. This report provides strong evidence that Walmart exerts unprecedented influence over the meatpacking industry and other agricultural and food sectors. It also shows that Walmart’s relentless quest for lower costs has unfairly squeezed income from meatpacking workers, farmers and ranchers resulting in Walmart receiving a grossly disproportionate share of the retail food dollar at the expense of other stakeholders in the food supply chain.
Walmart’s size, reach and power are unparalleled:
• The growth of Walmart’s share of U.S. grocery sales has been stratospheric: almost quadrupling since 1998 and showing no signs of slowing.
• Walmart has more retail grocery sales than its next three largest competitors (Kroger, Safeway, Supervalu) combined.
• Walmart controls more than a 30% share in 44% of major U.S. grocery markets; while in 29 of those markets, the company controls more than a 50% share.
To read the entire report: http://www.foodchainworkers.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/AG-Consolidat...
To learn more about the United Food and Commercial Workers Union: http://www.ufcw.org/
