My project seeks to explain how a small number of very large firms came to command a high degree of market power in the food system. The research will also evaluate what the rise of these agrifood megacompanies means for global food security and sustainability.
In recent years, the global food system has seen profound structural changes as large transnational companies have merged to control increasingly larger segments of the global food market. During the period of her fellowship, Jennifer Clapp will study the causes of this consolidation and determine the implications that these mergers have on world food security and sustainability. This research will also examine the regulatory response on the part of governments to this increased concentration in the agrifood sector. Her findings will serve to educate the public and policymakers on the long-term implications of these changes to the world food production system and will guide them toward the promotion of sustainable food systems.
