Cited by 359Agriculture, Land Use, Rural DevelopmentGlobal Public Health Policies and EpidemiologyEconomics of Agriculture and Food Markets

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The problem with growing corporate concentration and power in the global food system

Clapp, Jennifer·2021·Nature Food

DOI 10.1038/s43016-021-00297-7

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Abstract

What are the potential consequences when a relatively small number of large firms come to dominate markets within the global food system? This Perspective examines the implications of corporate concentration and power in the global seed and agrochemical industry, a sector that has become more consolidated in recent years. It outlines the pathways via which concentrated firms in this sector have the potential to exert power in food systems more broadly-both directly and indirectly-in ways that matter for food system outcomes. Specifically, concentrated firms can shape markets, shape technology and innovation agendas, and shape policy and governance frameworks. This Perspective makes the case that a range of measures are needed to ensure that corporate concentration and power do not undermine key goals for food systems, such as equitable livelihoods, sustainability and broad-based participation in food system governance. These include measures to strengthen competition policies, to bolster public sector support for diverse food systems, and to curb corporate influence in the policy process.

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Moreira, T., Meesters, M. E., Kok, K. P. W., Legun, K., Ditzler, L., & Klerkx, L. (2025) · Agricultural Systems · doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104512 · Cited by 9
Exploring farmer choices in Southern Togo: Utilizing a strategy game to understand decision-making in agricultural practices
Novotny, I. P., Lefeuvre, N. B., Attiogbé, K. S., Atakpama, W., Folega, F., Dray, A. G., & Waeber, P. O. (2024) · Agricultural Systems · doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2024.103960 · Cited by 5
National food security, immigration reform, and the importance of worker engagement in agricultural guestworker debates
Zoodsma, A., Dudley, M. J., & Minkoff-Zern, L.-A. (2022) · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · doi:10.5304/jafscd.2022.114.009 · Cited by 5
“…of food security—one focused on protecting moderate-sized farms’ viability and preventing further concentration of the agricultural sector—provides opportunities for more just food systems to emerge (Burmeister & Tanaka, 2017; Clapp, 2021; Friesner, 2016; Hauter, 2012; Huber, 2020; Smaje, 2020).”
BackgroundInfluential
Transforming the food system in ‘unprotected space’: the case of diverse grain networks in England
Walton, S. (2024) · Agriculture and Human Values · doi:10.1007/s10460-023-10535-2 · Cited by 5
“These values—the sanctity of private property and economic growth—are deeply entrenched and their resultant impact on sustainability transitions is substantial (Clapp 2021).”
Background
Putting your money where your mouth is: Accelerating investment action for healthy and sustainable food systems in Australia
Robinson, E., Parker, C., Carey, R., Foerster, A., Blake, M. R., Sievert, K., & Sacks, G. (2024) · Food Policy · doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102620 · Cited by 5
A life-cycle approach highlights the nutritional and environmental superiority of agroecology over conventional farming: A case study of a Mediterranean farm
Pelman, A., de Vries, J. W., Tepper, S., Eshel, G., Carmel, Y., & Shepon, A. (2024) · PLOS Sustainability and Transformation · doi:10.1371/journal.pstr.0000066 · Cited by 5
Algorithmic Bias and Farmers' Autonomy in AI-Driven Agricultural Marketing and Supply Chains
Gwelo, F. A. (2024) · Advances in marketing, customer relationship management, and e-services book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3693-6760-5.ch013 · Cited by 7
Context and proto-institutions in the emergence of transformative innovation policy: insights from Chile
Kok, K. P. W., Gaitán‐Cremaschi, D., Klerkx, L., & Villalobos, P. (2025) · Science and Public Policy · doi:10.1093/scipol/scaf006 · Cited by 5
How To Normatively Transform Food Systems
Abdulai, A., & Béné, C. (2025) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781009509633 · Cited by 4
An appetite for change? Engaging the public in food policy and politics
Beacham, J., & Jackson, P. (2022) · Consumption and Society · doi:10.1332/kenj3889 · Cited by 5
“This is a particularly pertinent question in light of a double logic where the public sphere has shrunk down to one’s activities as a consumer in the marketplace; and at the same time where power is increasingly concentrated and corporatised in contemporary agri-food systems (cf Clapp, 2021).”
Background
A Crude Palm Oil Industry Concentration and Influencing Factors: A Case Study of Indonesia as the World's Largest Producer
Hidayat, A., Robiani, B., Marwa, T., Suhel, S., Susetyo, D., & Mukhlis, M. (2024) · Agris on-line Papers in Economics and Informatics · doi:10.7160/aol.2024.160105 · Cited by 4
Integrating Australian Native Foods for a More Sustainable Food System: A Qualitative Co-Design Study with Aboriginal Communities
Lopes, C. V. A., Hunter, J. F. M., Cawthorne, R., Gilbert, S., Shogunle, A., Ebsworth, C., Bartlett, M., Ronto, R., & Mihrshahi, S. (2025) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph22040646 · Cited by 4
“…financial incentives to politicians and key decision-makers or actively challenging proposed policies in the media and in court [83], which may explain the ‘silence’ surrounding this issue in several spaces, such as conferences that are intended to address key challenges in food systems [87,88].”
Fishing to farming livelihood diversification: Perceptions from commercial fishers and shellfish farmers in the United States
Lemoine, H. R., Michaelis, A. K., & Lester, S. E. (2025) · People and Nature · doi:10.1002/pan3.70089 · Cited by 4
“Whereas agriculture is dominated by a few global corporations (Clapp, 2021, 2022 ), shellfish aquaculture in the United States is composed primarily of small-scale farms (defined here as low production, often family-owned and serving local markets) with only a few larger companies (e.g. Taylor…”
Reclaiming Food Insecurity in European Urban Policies: Lessons From Public and Community‐Based Initiatives
Rota-Aguilera, M. J. L., & Moragues‐Faus, A. (2025) · Urban Planning · doi:10.17645/up.9557 · Cited by 4
“In this regard, there are actors largely absent or marginal in food policy‐making processes, from big corporations to financiers or community initiatives (Battersby, 2017; Brons et al., 2022; Clapp, 2021; Smaal et al., 2021).”
From innovation to exnovation: insights from post-growth food enterprises in Australia
Chakori, S., Grigg, N., Biely, K., Hinton, J. B., Plumecocq, G., Richards, R., & Robra, B. (2025) · Ecological Economics · doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108785 · Cited by 4
Policy principles for sustainable and just land systems
Garrett, R. D., Meyfroidt, P., de Bremond, A., Wartenberg, A. C., Barbieri, L. K., Fernández‐Llamazares, Á., Acheampong, E., Addoah, T., Adeleye, M. A., Alexander, P. M., et al. (2025) · Royal Society Open Science · doi:10.1098/rsos.250810 · Cited by 6
“…transformative change from the onset by questioning existing institutional barriers and power structures [146], including food system concentration and lock-ins that favour corporate food actors [148,149], but policy examples of systemic change towards agroecological principles are hard to find.”
African socio-cultural characteristics: enabling or hindering sustainability?
Razak, G. M., Hendry, L. C., & Stevenson, M. (2025) · International Journal of Operations & Production Management · doi:10.1108/ijopm-12-2024-1050 · Cited by 4
Accumulation by Intermediation: The Contestation of Agro‐Food Capital in the South African Maize Industry
Bowman, A., & Robb, N. (2025) · Journal of Agrarian Change · doi:10.1111/joac.12616 · Cited by 4
Identifying deep leverage points to destabilize ‘lock-in’ and empower farmers in the Midwestern agrifood system
Wald, D. M., Coberley, D. D., Morris, C., Arbuckle, J. G., & Fuller, E. J. (2025) · Agriculture and Human Values · doi:10.1007/s10460-025-10765-6 · Cited by 6
“The dominant regime in the US is often stabilized by the concentration of power among a few organizations or corporations that shape markets, technology adoption, and policies (Clapp 2021 ; Wentworth et al. 2022).”
Agricultural innovation frames, policies, and instruments: evolution, lessons, and future research
Ragasa, C., Spielman, D. J., & Lynam, J. (2025) · Food Policy · doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.103008 · Cited by 4
Characterizing food systems to better understand their vulnerabilities: a case study in Québec and São Paulo
Sabio, R. P., Lehoux, P., & Rastoin, J. (2023) · Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems · doi:10.1017/s1742170523000170 · Cited by 4
“For instance, multinational food companies are taking a central role in research, where they are increasingly shaping the research problems and developing innovations that are favorable to their own interests rather than developing technologies that could also benefit small players (IPES-Food, 2016; Clapp, 2021).”
Background
The Geopolitics of Food Security
Sommerville, M. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-25399-7_56-1 · Cited by 4
Aligning rhetoric with reality: a qualitative analysis of multistakeholder initiatives in the global food system
Akker, A. V. D., Gilmore, A., Fabbri, A., Knai, C., & Rutter, H. (2024) · Health Promotion International · doi:10.1093/heapro/daae165 · Cited by 6
Food systems narratives in Colombia: embracing diverse perspectives can enable hybrid innovation pathways that address food system challenges
Ocampo, S. D., Hegwood, M., BECERRA, A. D. R., Rodríguez-Pinilla, J. P., & Newton, P. (2025) · Agriculture and Human Values · doi:10.1007/s10460-024-10685-x · Cited by 4
“However, power structures, vested interests, and path dependencies can constrain the ability to transform food systems (Béné 2022; Clapp 2021).”
Incumbents’ Capabilities for Sustainability-Oriented Innovation in the Norwegian Food Sector—an Integrated Framework
Gonera, A., Nykamp, H. A., & Carraresi, L. (2022) · Circular Economy and Sustainability · doi:10.1007/s43615-022-00234-1 · Cited by 6
“Nevertheless, in the food system, the concentration of power in the hands of a few large, well-established firms—the incumbents—makes the transformation process slow and complex [5, 6].”
Background
MEGAINFRAESTRUTURAS E AGRONEGÓCIO NA AMAZÔNIA LEGAL
Rodrigues, J. C., & de Castro, E. M. R. (2025) · GEOFRONTER · doi:10.61389/geofronter.v11.9075 · Cited by 3
Concentration and competition from global to local: The Southern African poultry industry
Goga, S., & Roberts, S. (2025) · Competition & Change · doi:10.1177/10245294251344362 · Cited by 3
“These include the effects of mergers on how industries evolve, such as potential competition effects (Motta and Peitz, 2020, 2021), the in ﬂ uence of possible collusion (termed coordinated effects), and the assessment of the international reach of mergers (Fox, 2025).”
Influential
Un sistema alimentario sostenible, resiliente y deseable
Sanjuán, L. D. (2023) · Revista de economía crítica · doi:10.46661/rec.10341 · Cited by 3
Toward global environmental scenarios for (and by) the ‘bottom billion’?
Lauer, A. H., Llases, L., & López-Muñoz, P. (2025) · Environmental Science & Policy · doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104268 · Cited by 5
Urban-rural interdependencies from an Earth system’s view – Principles and perspectives leading to new integrative and transformative research
Warner, B., Piorr, A., Grossart, H., Müller‐Petke, M., Schanze, J., & Schiller, G. (2025) · Environmental Science & Policy · doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104165 · Cited by 3
Artificial intelligence and animal farming: a scenario of drivers, barriers, and impacts in 2032
Ryan, M., & Blok, V. (2026) · Agriculture and Human Values · doi:10.1007/s10460-025-10806-0 · Cited by 3
“There have also been quite striking social impacts, particu - larly in how it has affected power asymmetries and market grabs by influential players (Ryan 2020 ; Bronson and Sen - gers 2022 ; Campolo and Crawford 2020 ; Clapp 2021 ).”
Building capacities in regional food systems: mapping change towards transformation
Blay‐Palmer, A., Anderson, M. D., Aunio, A., Ballamingie, P., Carey, R., Gudu, S. O., Mullinix, K., Murphy, M., Pulasinghage, C., Spring, A., et al. (2026) · Agriculture and Human Values · doi:10.1007/s10460-025-10840-y · Cited by 3
“Finally, and perhaps most egregiously, it has exacerbated the ravages of war, displacement, genocide and colonization (Canfield et al. 2021; Clapp 2021, GIST Impact 2023 ; Lacerda et al. 2020 ; Bayha and Spring 2020; Kaiser et al. 2021; Lang and McKee 2022).”
Engaging futures: Scenario visualisation for sustainable urban food sharing
Fitzgerald, L. M., & Davies, A. R. (2024) · Futures · doi:10.1016/j.futures.2024.103462 · Cited by 3
Marine Degradation and Market Dependency in Ghana: Food Sovereignty as a Critique of Capital in Aquatic Food Systems
Standen, S. (2025) · Journal of Agrarian Change · doi:10.1111/joac.70013 · Cited by 3
Corporate Concentration and Market Dynamics in Hungary’s Food Manufacturing Industry Between 1993 and 2022
Bashokoh, M. I., Tóth, G., & Ali, O. (2025) · Economies · doi:10.3390/economies13050136 · Cited by 3
“For example, over half of U.S. food crops are produced under duress, with cases like 100 migrant children working dangerous jobs at a Wisconsin meatpacking plant (Clapp, 2021, 2022).”
Influential
Innovating Public Food Procurement: A Case Study of Dordogne's Path to Sustainability
Vola, P., Gelmini, L., Rossa, S., Falvo, C., Hrušková, M., & Plaček, M. (2025) · Review of Policy Research · doi:10.1111/ropr.70026 · Cited by 7

Authors: Clapp, J.
ORCID: Clapp, Jennifer
Venue: Nature Food
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published: 2021-06-03
Volume: 2
Issue: 6
Pages: 404-408
ISSN: 2662-1355 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1038/s43016-021-00297-7
OpenAlex: W3170531652
Cited by: 359
References: 56
Citations by year: 2026: 81 · 2025: 92 · 2024: 64 · 2023: 67 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 17
FWCI: 2.98
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/text-and-data-mining (tdm)
www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/text-and-data-mining (vor)
Locations: Nature Food (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: Gouvernement du Canada | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (435-2020-0664)
Topics: Social Sciences › Development › Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development
Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology
Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Economics of Agriculture and Food Markets
Keywords: business concentration, market power, global food system, seed industry, agrochemical industry, industry consolidation, competition policy, food governance, corporate influence on policy, innovation agenda, sustainability

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The problem with growing corporate concentration and power in the global food system

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