Did you know that only a small elite controls almost all the food in the world, have you ever wondered the impact this has on your health, the environment and the world economy.
Do you think you really control what ends up on your plate, I think not, because there are 10 giant corporations that control what you put on your plate, Nestlé, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Danone, General mills, Kellogg`s, Mars , Associated British Foods and Mondelez spin the web that covers the vast majority of food and drink brands you find on your supermarket shelves.
These companies have their arms entangled in thousands of brands that flood our homes on a daily basis, to give you an idea of the reach that they have, let's take Nestlé as an example. This company has an impressive list of more than 2,000 brands distributed in no more than 189 countries, from baby food bakery products to chocolates and ready meals their domain is vast but what does this almost monopoly dominance really mean for you as a consumer and for our society in general in terms of economy this is an oligopoly where a few companies have a significant control over a specific market and although they may argue that they offer a wide variety of alternatives, the reality is that these alternatives are fundamentally theirs.
In theory we might think that this is good, because they give us products at a better price, but this type of control in the hands of a few can lead to a lack of diversity in terms of product options, which can result in a lack of competition and higher prices, this almost absolute control can have a direct and worrying impact on our health Why most of these products are processed foods full of sugars, fats and salt whose excessive consumption has been linked to diseases such as obesity and diabetes to put it in perspective and with real data.
In 2017 a report from Tufts University revealed that diets based on ultra-processed foods and beverages could be responsible for almost one in two deaths from heart disease and diabetes in the United States alone, it could be that these 10 corporations with their dominance in the world of processed foods are fueling an epidemic of chronic disease and what does this mean for us as consumers and for our planet of course.
At first glance it might seem beneficial to have large companies controlling food production, they can provide economies of scale by lowering prices and ensuring consistency in quality and taste, but this concentration of power has its counterparts especially in terms of product diversity and healthy alternatives. .
Recent research has shown that diets based on processed foods can have negative impacts on health by contributing to obesity and chronic diseases, according to the World Health Organization in 2021 more than 650 million adults suffered from obesity, a figure that has almost tripled since 1975 and it is that many of the products that these companies manufacture are high in sugars, trans fats and salt.
You could tell me that "I choose what I buy and what I eat" but you will be amazed to discover to what extent these companies control everything we eat, you want a clear example, what we have all fallen into at least once, let's say you are in the supermarket and you decide to buy something healthy because you are concerned about your health, then you see a product whose packaging looks fresh, natural and claims to be healthy because it is "life" or 0% trans fat, you buy it thinking that you are making a conscious and healthy choice, you come to you start consuming it at home and out of curiosity you take a look at the list of ingredients and nutritional values.
Then you discover that it is full of sugars, fats and artificial additives sounds familiar, this is a strategy known as Green washing, many products are marketed in this way that appear to be healthy, organic or natural when in reality they are very far to be.
This does not end there, these giant companies spend billions on advertising each year trying to influence our purchasing decisions. In fact, it is estimated that in 2020 PepsiCo alone, one of these giants spent no less than 4.9 billion dollars on advertising, to get an idea these more than the gross domestic product that many small countries have, you can imagine the magnitude of the impact that such an amount of money can have on our perceptions and purchasing decisions.
These food giants are not limited to television or internet ads, they also sponsor studies and research, which surprisingly often conclude that their products are not as harmful to health as believed, according to a 2016 report published in the journal Of The American Medical Association when a study on sugar-sweetened beverages is funded by the beverage or sugar industry, you are five times more likely to conclude that there is no significant association between the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity or diabetes, So how much control do you really have over what you eat?
I've started to grow my own food because of two reasons: I need a hobby other than drinking and because of reasons stated above. I still have some processed food in my life but I try to avoid it as much as possible.
That is the way, but even in that now he is trying to take away...
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