Latest Stories — Food & Power

With SABMiller Deal Complete, ABI Takes Aim at Craft Brewers

Anheuser-Busch InBev is angling to control every shelf of your local beer store, and they’re doing it behind the scenes. That may seem surprising, given that the Belgian company has made headlines this year with its nearly complete $108 billion acquisition of SABMiller, the second-largest beer company in the world. But many in the industry see control over distribution, even more than deals, as the real source of ABI’s growing market power. And though the Department of Justice’s July approval of the merger seems to promote competition and place checks on the company’s pursuit of growth, those checks may not prove strong enough to rein in the beer giant.

Mergers & AcquisitionsLeah DouglasSeptember 15, 2016ABI, Bayer, Brewers Association, DFA, DOJ, mergers, monsanto, NFU, SABMiller, Leah Douglas, Beer

The Month in Review

As the summer winds down, here’s a look at some of the biggest stories in food and agriculture consolidation.

Dairy, Poultry & LivestockLeah DouglasSeptember 1, 2016Bayer, cattle, ChemChina, dairy, DMPP, Dow, DuPont, JBS, monsanto, Syngenta, Leah Douglas

As Dairy Prices Tumble, Farmers are Angered by Minimal USDA Support

Dairy farmers in the Northeast and Midwest are dumping massive quantities of milk, as a sharp decline in exports has driven milk prices down to a seven-year low. Meanwhile, independent farmers and members of Congress say that a new USDA insurance program designed to keep struggling dairy farmers in business is failing to do the job.

DairyLeah DouglasAugust 18, 2016dairy, Dean, DFA, DMPP, dumping, monsanto, NMPF, UNFI, USDA, Leah Douglas

FTC Allows Grocery Chains to Further Consolidate Power, Harming Farmers, Workers, and Consumers

Farmers, workers, and consumers alike may soon feel the effects of further consolidation in the already concentrated industry of grocery retail. On July 22, the Federal Trade Commission approved the latest in a long series of supermarket mergers, further concentrating control over U.S. food markets in the hands of a few giant corporations.

RetailLeah DouglasAugust 4, 2016Ahold, Delhaize, farmworkers, labor, mergers, retailers, Leah Douglas

Food & Power Newsletter: Big Food Turns to Congress to Overturn State GMO Labeling Laws

After months of debate, Congress in early July established a national standard for the labeling of foods that contain ingredients that have been genetically modified (GMOs). President Obama is expected to sign the bill, officially called the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard.

Food & Power Newsletter: Perdue Says It Plans to Treat Its Chickens Better. But Who Will Pay?

Perdue, one of the four biggest chicken companies in the U.S., last week announced plans to improve quality of life for their chickens and to kill them more humanely. Although the plans have largely been seen as a step forward in animal welfare, three big questions remain: how much will it cost to meet these new standards, who will foot the bill, and when exactly will the reforms happen?

Poultry & LivestockChris WagerJuly 7, 2016chicken, consolidation, GMO, organic, Perdue, Leah Douglas, Animal Welfare, Beer

Food & Power Newsletter: Is an Organic Checkoff Supported By Farmers?

There’s a battle happening in organic farming, and it’s not about labeling or the setting of standards. In May, the Organic Trade Association submitted a revised proposal to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to impose a special tax on organic farming. Called a “checkoff,” this tax would apply to all organic farmers, handlers of organic goods, and food processors with sales over a certain threshold. According to the proposal, money collected through the tax would be used for the promotion of organic products.

PolicyChris WagerJune 23, 2016checkoffs, commodity, labor, North Dakota, organics, soda tax, Leah Douglas, Beef Checkoff

Food & Power Newsletter: The Fight for Family Farming in North Dakota

On June 14, while electing their state representatives, the citizens of North Dakota will also decide whether to open their state to corporate agriculture or to uphold historical protections of family farming.

PolicyChris WagerJune 8, 2016family farms, North Dakota, dairy, Leah Douglas, pork

Food & Power Newsletter: A Closer Look at the Bayer-Monsanto Merger and the Seed Licensing 'Cartel'

Bayer’s $62 billion offer to buy Monsanto is the latest in a series of proposed mega-mergers in the seed and agrochemical sectors, following ChemChina’s planned takeover of Syngenta and Dow’s merger with DuPont. These deals have raised fears of higher prices, reduced crop biodiversity, and even greater obstacles to innovation in these industries.

Seeds & AgrichemicalsChris WagerMay 25, 2016Bayer, consolidation, Dow, GMO, licensing, mergers, monsanto, seeds, Syngenta, Leah Douglas

Monsanto-Bayer mega-deal a nightmare for America?

Bayer's announcement that it intends to buy Monsanto, the world's largest seed producer, shocked farmers and consumers alike. The deal could have a profound -- and negative -- effect.

Seeds & AgrichemicalsLeah DouglasMay 23, 2016Bayer, Dow, GMO, mergers, monsanto, seeds, Syngenta, Leah Douglas

Food & Power Newsletter: The Battle for Nebraska: Communities Take On Industrial Chicken and Pork

“We need a moratorium here in Iowa. We’ve got too many factory farms.” That’s Adam Mason, state policy director with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. He’s not alone in his desire for dramatic action to be taken against the proliferation of factory farming in his state. Communities across the country are standing up against corporate, industrial farming in their towns and cities. This growing anger is in part a response to weak state and federal protection of open and competitive livestock markets.

Food & Power Newsletter: Obama Targets Monopoly, But is He Too Late to Help Farmers and Animals?

After largely ignoring one of the most extreme periods of concentration in U.S. history, President Obama on April 15 acknowledged that America has a monopoly problem. He did so by signing an Executive Order that pushes executive departments and agencies to use their rule-making authority to promote competition wherever possible.

EnforcementLeah DouglasMay 12, 2016COOL, Executive Order, GIPSA, Obama