Latest Stories — Food & Power

Meatpacker Lobbying Kept Plants Open and Increased Covid Deaths, Congressional Report Reveals

A congressional report reveals how meatpacking corporations exaggerated risks of food shortages and drafted an executive order to keep their plants open, deterring health and safety regulations.

Labor, Processing & Distribution, PolicyAmy HuoJune 8, 2022JBS, tyson, collusion, Trump, Meatpacking workers, meatpacker

USDA Releases New Rule to Increase Transparency in Poultry Contracting

USDA’s proposed rule would require that chicken companies provide more information to their contract growers to better project earnings and spot unfairness.

Policy, Poultry & LivestockClaire KellowayMay 26, 2022GIPSA, poultry, tournament, Biden

The Amazonification of Whole Foods Goes Beyond Store Tech

While Whole Foods talks a big game about supporting local businesses and their workers, both groups have been shunted as the chain seeks to compete with dominant retailers.

RetailClaire KellowayApril 28, 2022grocery, Amazon, Whole Foods, workers, Secondary Feature

Farmers and Business Owners Testify to Harms of Lax Merger Policy

Farmers and food businesses urge antitrust enforcers to strengthen merger guidelines and fight consolidation.

Mergers & Acquisitions, Policy, EnforcementClaire KellowayMarch 31, 2022FTC, DOJ, mergers, vertical integration

Agriculture Antitrust News Roundup

Policy, Poultry & Livestock, RetailClaire KellowayMarch 17, 2022GIPSA, Executive Order, meatpacking, retail, USDA, Antitrust, Right to Repair, wage-fixing, mergers

Capper-Volstead Turns 100; It’s Time We Expand Its Goals, Within Agriculture and Beyond

The Capper-Volstead Act just turned 100 years old. What the future of farming could learn from this lesser-known law that established the legal foundations for agricultural cooperatives.

PolicyDaniel HanleyMarch 3, 2022cooperation, cooperative

Treasury Report on Alcohol Markets Calls for More Enforcement, Yet Criticizes Key State Regulations

In the name of supporting craft producers, a new Treasury Department report questions the very state laws that permitted the craft boom, some argue.

Policy, Processing & Distribution, EnforcementClaire KellowayFebruary 17, 2022craft beer, Beer, Alcohol, three-tier

Legal Actions From All Sides Threaten to Break Farm Equipment Repair Monopolies

Farm equipment makers face monopolization lawsuits and a new right to repair bill in the Senate.

Policy, EnforcementClaire KellowayFebruary 3, 2022Right to Repair, John Deere, Tractors, Tying, lawsuit

Inflation Doesn’t Explain Historic Corporate Profits — Monopoly Power Does

Claire Kelloway wrote about the role of food corporations’ market power in rising prices (and rising profit margins) for Time magazine.

Policy, RetailClaire KellowayJanuary 18, 2022consolidation, collusion, meatpacking, grocery, food supply

White House Pushes Plan for Fairer Meat Markets – Will it Work?

The Biden administration will invest $1 billion in new plants and issue new rules under the Packers and Stockyards Act. Will this help bring down meat prices?

Policy, Poultry & LivestockClaire KellowayJanuary 6, 2022meatpacking, Biden, Vilsack, Antitrust, USDA