Barons Money, power, and the corruption of America's food industry

Frerick, whose career has been devoted to matters of agriculture and antitrust, profiles the corporate leaders of seven food-related industries whose successes spell disaster for the American consumer, for free trade, and for the environment. These "barons" have created virtual monopolies in such industries as coffee production, hog farming, dairy production, and the retail grocery business. They have, the author says, capitalized on the deregulation of the food industry, bought themselves key members of state governments and "impartial" analysts, relied on cheap labor, and circumvented (or ignored) laws regarding waste disposal and other environmental concerns. The author dissects not only the food barons' business practices, but also the disastrous impacts of these practices, including widespread health issues among workers and people who live near production facilities, the wiping-out of small businesses, and the destruction of land and properties. The author, who frequently sounds as though he is fighting to control his personal rage at the people he's writing about, backs up his statements with facts and figures. This is an angry and accusatory book, but also a fair and well-documented one.

In this eye-opening debut study, Frerick, an agricultural policy fellow at Yale University, reveals the ill-gained stranglehold that a handful of companies have on America's food economy. Tracing the paths various corporations took to achieve market domination, he repeatedly demonstrates how their rise was aided by infusions of corrupting money into the political process. Frerick, who grew up in Iowa, came to this topic out of curiousity about why his state had changed so much over the decades. Once known for its "strong middle class," Iowa is "now defined by... decaying towns," Frerick writes, but "the most jarring change is that the animals have disappeared from view." His investigation tracks how the Hansen family, through their company Iowa Select Farms, have "built an empire of hog confinements," an innovation in the pork industry that is disastrously toxic for nearby communities. Despite overwhelming public opposition, the Hansens triumphed by capturing the regulatory system through lobbying, including for state policy changes that undermine county-level regulation. Such unsettling revelations are peppered throughout Frerick's deep dive; for example, despite entering the coffee industry only a decade ago, "the mysterious Reimanns, a reclusive German family with historical ties to the Third Reich," have become second only to Nestlé by buying up trusted independent brands like Green Mountain, Intelligentsia, La Colombe, and Stumptown. It's a disquieting critique of private monopolization of public necessities. (Mar.)