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The problem with growing corporate concentration and power in the global food system
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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“A growing body of research documents a high degree of corporate concentration all along global agrifood supply chains (e.g., ETC Group 2022; Clapp 2021; IPES-Food 2017; Hendrickson et al. 2020; Howard 2016; Deconinck 2021; Crespi and MacDonald 2022; Sexton and Xia 2018; Slater et al. 2024).”
From Corporate concentration and power matter for agency in food systems (2025) · cites this paper as Clapp 2021
In the citing paper
“farmers' decisions to adopt GM crops hinge on the expected profits of adoption and the associated risks ( 31 ), the availability of the technology and its alternatives, marketing exposure ( 32 ) and farm characteristics including farm size and farmer education level ( 33 ).”
From Environmental impacts of genetically modified crops (2024) · cites this paper as [33]
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Viewpoint: The case for a six-dimensional food security framework
Jennifer A. Clapp (University of Waterloo), Moseley, W. G., Burlingame, B., & Termine, P. (2021) · Food Policy · doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2021.102164 · Cited by 661
“It is also important to enhance collective agency via public policy and governance structures that distribute power more evenly within food systems, as well as to implement broader measures to address concentrated power in food systems resulting from corporate consolidation (Clapp, 2021).”
BackgroundThe EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systems
Rockström, J., Thilsted, S. H., Willett, W. C., Gordon, L. J., Herrero, M., Hicks, C. C., Mason-D’Croz, D., Rao, N., Springmann, M., Wright, E. C., et al. (2025) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(25)01201-2 · Cited by 621
Artificial intelligence, systemic risks, and sustainability
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“…food production for a growing population, while ignoring underlying well-known socio-political issues driving food insecurity such as poverty and social inequalities [49,79], and the detrimental impacts on technological development resulting from corporate concentration in the food sector [80].”
BackgroundFanzo, J., Haddad, L., Schneider, K., Béné, C., Covic, N. M., Guarín, A., Herforth, A., Herrero, M., Sumaila, U. R., Aburto, N., et al. (2021) · Food Policy · doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2021.102163 · Cited by 391
Béné, C. (2022) · World Development · doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105881 · Cited by 238
Metadata
- Authors
- Clapp, J.
- ORCID
- Clapp, Jennifer
- Venue
- Nature Food
- Published
- 2021-06-03
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 404-408
- ISSN
- 2662-1355 (ISSN-L)
- 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
- 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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