Economists have attempted to explain the reasons for grocery-related inflation remaining stubbornly high by pointing fingers at supply chain issues , higher labor costs , and agricultural pests . The Washington Post even admitted — albeit with little additional comment — that “ consolidation in the industry gives large chains the ability to keep prices high .” ( I ’ ll return to this critical point later .)
Fearing that voters feeling the pinch every time they shop for food will punish him at the ballot box , President Joe Biden has taken aim at the food industry . At an event in South Carolina on January 27 , 2024 , the president remarked that , while “ inflation is coming down … there are still too many corporations in America ripping people off : price gouging , junk fees , greedflation , shrinkflation .”
To be fair , some foods did become cheaper , such as eggs . Remember the nationwide scramble on eggs in the early months of the pandemic with many grocery retailers limiting the number of cartons per customer ? But in the years since , prices leveled off . And then they whisked up again . In fact , eggs are a far better indicator of why Americans are upset about food-related inflation than a Snickers bar .
There are plenty of short-term interventions that government can apply to help American families cope with the high cost of groceries , and President Biden has implemented many of them . Groundwork Collaborative ’ s report cites an increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ( SNAP ) benefits for the lowest-income Americans , as well as the federal government ’ s initiative in taking food corporations to court over price gouging , and helping to lower the prices of crop fertilizers .
But many of these fixes are workarounds to compensate for the massive monopolistic corporatization of our food industry . Recall the point that the Washington Post made with little additional analysis : “ consolidation in the industry gives large chains the ability to keep prices high .” The fact is that only a handful of corporations control the majority of our food system . We are all at the mercy of a small number of big companies . And , unless we make serious systemic changes to our food systems , we will remain so .
When thinking about longer-term fixes that free our foods from corporate profiteering , the humble egg is once more a good example . When eggs were prized items during the early months of the pandemic , small producers and farmers markets became the only reliable suppliers for many Americans . I recall being even more grateful than usual for my membership with the Urban Homestead , a small farm in the heart of Pasadena , California , where I live . Each week , I place an order with them for fresh produce and other locally grown foods to supplement my store-bought groceries . During the COVID-19 lockdowns , Urban Homestead was one of the few sources my family had for eggs and fresh produce .
But such small producers are few and far between . While the lucky ones among us may have access to urban farms , there are simply not enough small-scale growers to feed most Americans . Those farms that do exist operate on razor-thin margins , struggling year after year to remain financially viable . They remain on the outskirts of a massive capitalist playing field that is tilted toward profit-centered , highly subsidized agribusinesses and grocery chains . While small farmers , both urban and rural , are struggling , food-trading companies are gobbling up massive profits . And the federal government ’ s farm subsidy program disproportionately benefits large corporate growers rather than the family farmers they are ostensibly aimed at .
Localizing our food supplies and shortening the chain between food buyers ( i . e ., all of us ) and grocery suppliers ought to be the focus of food-centered government policies . This requires adopting a mindset based on the idea of “ food justice ,” a topic on which much has been written . We need to make it easier for small-scale farmers to grow food while remaining financially stable , and harder for large-scale corporate agribusinesses to control our food supply . This requires incentivizing small-scale farmers to remain small and sustainable — the opposite of the “ growth ” ideals of corporate profiteers .
Lawmakers and corporate media outlets are so attached to the idea that food producers and distributors deserve massive profits in exchange for controlling our food supply , that a justicebased approach of de-growth rarely enters their discourse . Rather than the rich eating us ( and our wallets ), it ’ s time for us to eat the rich .
The Trial Lawyer x 39