Food & Water Watch Applauds Sen. Booker’s Groundbreaking Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium Bill

Statement by Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch

Washington, D.C. – “Big Ag wields extraordinary power over our food system, which prioritizes industry profits over public health, the environment, and farming communities. That’s why we are excited to enthusiastically support groundbreaking new legislation introduced today by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) to halt the merger mania that has contributed to this dysfunctional system.

“His bill would provide needed relief to farmers, rural communities and eaters across the country. The Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust Review Act of 2018 (S. 3404) would create a strategic pause in the wave of mega-mergers that have hyper-consolidated every link in the food chain, from seed to supermarket. This legislation is a crucial step to busting up the Foodopoly in which a handful of players drive food policy in the service of Wall Street, not Main Street.

“An unprecedented wave of mergers in food and agriculture markets has driven down the prices farmers receive, lowered wages for food workers, raised the prices consumers pay at the supermarket, eliminated choices for both farmers and consumers, and fueled the environmental and public health impacts of factory farms and chemical agriculture. Food & Water Watch is proud to endorse Sen. Booker’s merger moratorium bill, which revives Senator Paul Wellstone’s vision for a fairer food and agriculture landscape, and we urge other Senators to co-sponsor this legislation.”

Food & Water Watch champions healthy food and clean water for all. We stand up to corporations that put profits before people, and advocate for a democracy that improves people’s lives and protects our environment.

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