How Supermarkets Impact Farmers, Workers, Consumers —
and How We Can Build a Fairer Food System

The next time you visit the supermarket, glance down the aisle and ask yourself a question. How much choice do I have when it comes to deciding what food I buy? At first glance, it probably seems like you have quite a bit of choice. Hundreds of different products line the shelves; in some cases, you may be able to find ten or more brands of the same product. With immigrant communities growing in both urban and rural areas, it is now possible to find a variety of "international" foods alongside the traditional ones in many supermarkets. Some stores now carry organic, natural, or other specialty products as well.

But first impressions are often misleading. Try, for example, to find locally grown food in the supermarket. It will probably feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. It may be challenging, if not impossible, to find such products as grass-fed beef, meat raised in compliance with animal welfare standards, or processed food not made with genetically modified corn or soybeans. What about food from companies that pay producers and workers — both abroad and at home — a fair wage?

This issue brief is one in a series that explores concentration — the dominance of an ever smaller number of large, powerful companies — in our food system. Concentration is a defining trend in the retail food industry today. Fortunately, there are many creative ways that communities, individuals, and organizations can take action to make the system more fair for all of us — and this brief will show you how to join them.

Click here to download the 8-page pdf file.