money, power, and the corruption of America's food industry Frerick, Austin 1990- creator Schlosser, Eric (Eric Matthew) 1959- writer of foreword. text bibliography Informational works. Documents d'information. dcu 2024 monographic eng

print

xiv, 257 pages ; 24 cm "Barons is the story of seven corporate titans, their rise to power, and the consequences for everyone else. Take Mike McCloskey, Chairman of Fair Oaks Farms. In a few short decades, he went from managing a modest dairy herd to running the Disneyland of agriculture, where school children ride trams through mechanized warehouses filled with tens of thousands of cows that never see the light of day. What was the key to his success? Hard work and exceptional business savvy? Maybe. But more than anything else, Mike benefited from deregulation of the American food industry, a phenomenon that has consolidated wealth in the hands of select tycoons, and along the way, hollowed out the nation's rural towns and local businesses. Along with Mike McCloskey, readers will meet a secretive German family that took over the global coffee industry in less than a decade, relying on wealth traced back to the Nazis to gobble up countless independent roasters. They will discover how a small grain business transformed itself into an empire bigger than Koch Industries, with ample help from taxpayer dollars. And they will learn that in the food business, crime really does pay--especially when you can bribe and then double-cross the president of Brazil. These, and the other stories in this book, are simply examples of the monopolies and ubiquitous corruption that today define American food. The tycoons profiled in these pages are hardly unique: many other companies have manipulated our lax laws and failed policies for their own benefit, to the detriment of our neighborhoods, livelihoods, and our democracy itself. Barons paints a stark portrait of the consequences of corporate consolidation, but it also shows we can choose a different path. A fair, healthy, and prosperous food industry is possible--if we take back power from the barons who have robbed us of it."--Publisher's website. Introduction -- The hog barons -- The grain barons -- The coffee barons -- The dairy barons -- The berry barons -- The slaughter barons -- The grocery barons -- Conclusion. Austin Frerick ; [foreword by Eric Schlosser]. Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-245) and index. Austin Frerick is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. He worked at the Open Markets Institute, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the Congressional Research Service before becoming a Fellow at Yale University. He is a 7th generation Iowan and 1st generation college graduate, with degrees from Grinnell College and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. n-us--- Food industry and trade United States Alimentos Industria y comercio Estados Unidos Food industry and trade Government policy United States Abastecimiento de alimentos Política gubernamental Estados Unidos Food industry and trade Corrupt practices United States Industrias alimenticias Prácticas corruptas Estados Unidos Food industry and trade Economic aspects United States Food supply United States Agricultural industries United States Industrias Agrícolas Estados Unidos Agricultural industries Government policy United States Industria agrícola Política gubernamental Estados Unidos Agricultural industries Corrupt practices United States Industria agrícola Prácticas corruptas Estados Unidos Agricultural industries Economic aspects United States Industrias alimenticias Estados Unidos Aliments Approvisionnement États-Unis Industries agricoles États-Unis Industries agricoles Politique gouvernementale États-Unis Industries agricoles Pratiques déloyales États-Unis Industries agricoles Aspect économique États-Unis POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Agriculture & Food Policy SOCIAL SCIENCE / Agriculture & Food BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Industries / Agribusiness Food industry and trade Food industry and trade Government policy Food industry and trade Corrupt practices Food industry and trade Economic aspects Food supply Agricultural industries Agricultural industries Government policy Corruption Agricultural industries Economic aspects Food industry United States United States HD 9005 F882b 2024 338.47664/00973 Frerick, Austin. Washington, DC : Island Press, [2024] (OCoLC)1419056348 9781642834444 (pbk.) 1642834440 (pbk.) 2023945763 YDX 230831 20260116113448.0 23303537 eng