Latest Stories — Food & Power

Congress Encourages Corporate Sponsorship of USDA Conservation Programs

A new law lets corporations fund select USDA conservation programs in exchange for branded sponsorship and a cut of any environmental service benefits generated.

PolicyClaire KellowayJanuary 12, 2023Carbon Markets, USDA

JBS Buys Assets from its Hog Supplier TriOak

JBS will buy undisclosed assets from Iowa hog producer TriOak, locking up a supply of Prop-12 compliant hogs and vertically integrating an already consolidated industry.

Mergers & Acquisitions, Poultry & LivestockClaire KellowayDecember 20, 2022JBS, Iowa, pork, Primary Feature

Big Ag and Big Oil Eye Biogas Profits, Shell Buys Nature Energy

Shell buys biogas company that will turn cow manure into burnable gas. Opponents say these taxpayer supported projects expand dirty gas infrastructure and polluting industrial animal farms.

Natural Meat Marketing Misled Consumers, Lawsuit Claims

Recently unsealed legal evidence documents how Hormel misled consumers by selling the same industrially raised animals under its Natural Choice and conventional product lines.

Poultry & LivestockClaire KellowayNovember 21, 2022pork, meatpacking, Turkey, Competition, lawsuit, Secondary Feature

States Attorneys General Challenge Albertsons Private Equity Payout

Legal challenges to Albertsons’s special dividend put a spotlight on the ways private equity extraction drives grocery consolidation.

Retail, Mergers & AcquisitionsClaire KellowayNovember 10, 2022grocery, private equity, merger, Albertsons, Kroger, Secondary Feature

What Kroger and Albertsons’ Mega-Merger Means for Shoppers, Workers, Regulators

A merged Kroger/Albertsons empire could supercharge store closures, layoffs, price gouging, and supplier squeezing, further harming shoppers, workers, farmers, and independent grocers.

Mergers & Acquisitions, RetailClaire KellowayOctober 27, 2022Kroger, Albertsons, grocery, mergers, workers, retail, walmart, Amazon

FTC Says Pesticide Companies Paid to Block Cheaper Competitors, Raising Prices

The FTC alleges that Syngenta and Corteva maintained pesticide monopolies by paying distributors not to carry generic products. Pesticide firms aren’t the only businesses using pay-to-block schemes.

USDA Proposes Rule to Deter Packer Retaliation, Discrimination, and Deception

New USDA rule could clear the way for farmers to challenge meatpackers for retaliation and discrimination. Plus USDA commits $15 million to boost state attorneys general.

Policy, Poultry & LivestockClaire KellowaySeptember 29, 2022P&S Act, Packers and Stockyards, Meatpackers, USDA

Big Pork Says Animal Welfare Rule Breeds Monopoly; Small Farmers Disagree

The National Pork Producers Council says California’s Prop. 12 will drive small farms out of business. But a group of small farmers argues that the anti-crate law gives them a rare market opportunity.

DOJ Settlement with Cargill and Sanderson has Big Implications for Chicken Farmers and Workers

Antitrust enforcers didn’t block Cargill’s takeover of Sanderson Farms, but they did challenge the companies for wage-fixing and deception, securing some significant changes for farmers and workers.

Enforcement, Poultry & LivestockClaire KellowayAugust 4, 2022price fixing, wage-fixing, mergers, Chicken, cargill

How Ecolab Cleans Up the Competition in Keeping U.S. Restaurants Sanitary

Ecolab sells an estimated 60% or more of all dishwashing and sanitizing chemicals that restaurants rely on, putting small restaurants in a bind.

Competition in Fluid Milk Processing Declines with Midwest Plant Closures

Antitrust enforcers made merging milk monopolists divest plants to preserve regional competition. Now those plants are closing.

DairyClaire KellowayJuly 7, 2022dairy, mergers, DFA, labor, wisconsin, Secondary Feature