Multinational Conglomerates

A key trend in food and agriculture today is multinational conglomeration. This means that the food and agriculture sector increasingly consists of large companies that control multiple facets of food and agriculture and operate in multiple countries. For example, Unilever sells its products in more than 190 countries, Walmart operates more than 11,000 stores in 27 countries, Tyson sells meat in more than 130 countries, and 282 million acres are planted with Monsanto seeds globally. Multinational conglomeration is an outcome of horizontal [Page 1002]and vertical integration at both national and global levels and has been facilitated by the processes of neoliberalization and globalization. The food people eat and the way in which it is produced is being profoundly affected by multinational conglomeration in both positive ...