Today I was perusing the internet, looking for interesting stuff to share with you, and I came upon a thread that really caught my interest.
It’s about grocery stores in the United States, how they’re set up like an “optical illusion” and how in reality, this bountiful spread of about 40 thousand assorted products is actually a magic trick.
It’s smoke and mirrors… an illusion.
All those brightly colored boxes, with delicious names and mouth-watering photos, are part of a well-crafted marketing plot by about 10 companies.
A Twitter account that goes by the name “Sollozzo” put together this really interesting thread on the topic, and I read it and it really struck a chord with me, so I thought you might be interested to read it as well.
Here’s what Sollozzo said:
Your average grocery store has been monopolized by 10 companies. Here’s what the hell is going on and what you can do about it.
When you walk into the average supermarket you are overwhelmed by choice. There are now over 40,000 products in the average supermarket. Bright vibrant boxes and packages litter the shelves. The options are seemingly unlimited…
Little do you know, this is nothing but an optical illusion. Our modern industrial food system has created an “illusion of choice” that has fooled you. Stick with me here.
You see, these 40,000 products aren’t controlled by thousands of different companies all competing for their spot in the market… They are controlled by about 10 companies.
To take it a step further, there are 5 companies that control 40% of the groceries in your shopping cart. They include: Kraft Heinz General Mills Conagra Unilever Delmonte Let’s take a look at the portfolio of brands these behemoths control in the below visuals:
The majority of these products can be found in the inner aisles of the grocery store. They are really just variations of the following: Refined sugars, grains, seed oils, and artificial flavoring. Nutritional weapons of mass destruction designed to get you sick.
These products are fueled by the industrial food system that we are now captive to. They offer absolutely no nutritional value and have created the largest metabolic health crisis this country has ever faced.
Prior to the 1950s, America focused on eating real foods. We ate meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, dairy. We cooked with tallow, lard, butter, and real cooking fats. As you can see, our collective health as a nation reflects the quality of food we now eat.
Since the 1970s, there has been an explosive growth of industrial food. We found cheap ways to combine corn, wheat, grains, sugars to feed our growing country. However the cost has been the metabolic bankruptcy of our nation.
The M&A growth in the food industry has also been insane. This web shows the consolidation that has taken place within big foods. 10 companies are controlling just about all of the products you will find in the grocery store.
In addition to this, there are 4 meat processors that control over 80% of the meat that we eat. They include: Cargill, Tyson, JBS, National Beef Their market share allows them to overcharge you the consumer and undercharge the rancher growing the cattle.
Even the supermarket itself has become centralized. Back in the day, you used to source your food from local or regional grocery stores. Today – Walmart, Costco, Kroger, and Ahold Delhaize make up 65% of all supermarkets in the US.
The pandemic itself was great for supermarkets as it gave easy leverage to buy out struggling regional chains.
Almost all of these companies mentioned are publicly traded as well. This means that they have a fiduciary responsibility to deliver as much value to their shareholders as possible. They will combine the cheapest and most addictive ingredients & flavors to make you addicted.
These companies do billions of dollars in revenue per year and have the ability to market endlessly at your children. A recent study found that the average child watches TV for over 3 hours / day. During that time they will be exposed to 23 ads for foods high in sugar & fat.
They also understand how to create so many variations of flavor so that you are overwhelmed by optionality. They also play around with nutrition labels and make them intentionally confusing. For example, sugar can be hidden with 75 different names.
They can also pay for “heart healthy” and “low-fat” designations to give the uninformed consumer the false pretense that the product is healthy while being loaded with sugar and processed fillers.
The statistics show what our industrial food system has done to us: 88% of US adults are considered Metabolically unhealthy 7 out of 10 deaths are now caused by chronic diseases (diet and lifestyle related) The medical cost of obesity in the US is $200 Billion
I write this thread so you can understand the levers that are being pulled behind the scenes. A large amount of power controlled by a small group of people allows leads to corruption. You, the consumer, are the one suffering the brunt of it all.
It does not have to be this way. You are more powerful than you even realize. You can choose to vote with your dollar. You can choose to buy real food. You can choose to buy from your local farmer. We can create an entirely new system.
I guarantee you that you have a local farm within miles of you that you can purchase your meat, fish, eggs, fruits, and vegetables from. You will be creating an entirely new system by doing this. Your dollar is going directly into your farmer’s hand – not some corporation.
I think this person is wonderful, and I found that thread to be very enlightening.
Some of that stuff I already knew, but I learned a thing or two and was reminded of things I have forgotten along the way.
Man, everywhere you turn, we’re being controlled and manipulated by “groups” of elites.
If you enjoyed that thread, I encourage you to read more from Sollozzo here and here.
