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[Shortpoet-GTD]

"In just a few short years, Walmart has become the most powerful force in our food system, more dominant than Monsanto, Kraft, or Tyson.
It was only 23 years ago that Walmart opened its first supercenter, a store with a full supermarket
inside. By 1998, it was still a relatively modest player with 441 supercenters and about 6 percent
of U.S. grocery sales.
Last year, as its supercenter count climbed above 3,000, Walmart captured 25 percent of the $550 billion Americans spent on groceries.
As astonishing as Walmart's national market share is, in many parts of the country the chain
is even more dominant. In 29 metro markets, it accounts for more than 50 percent of grocery sales.

The more dominant Walmart becomes, the fewer opportunities there will be for farmers markets,
food co-ops, neighborhood grocery stores, and a host of other enterprises that are beginning to fashion a better food system.

Another USDA analysis found that big retailers have used their market power to shortchange
farmers who grow apples, lettuce, and other types of produce, paying them less than what they would get in a competitive market, while also charging consumers inflated prices.
In this way, Walmart has actually helped drive overall food prices up.

Neighborhoods that gain Walmart stores end up with more poverty and food-stamp usage than communities where the retailer does not open, a study published in Social Science Quarterly found. This increase in poverty may owe to the fact that Walmart's arrival leads to a net loss of jobs and lowers wages, according to research [PDF] by economists at the University of California-Irvine and Cornell.

Signs of a revitalized food system have been springing up all over -- farmers markets, urban gardeners, neighborhood grocers, consumer co-ops, CSAs -- but their growth may well be cut short if Walmart has its way."

http://www.grist.org...our-food-system

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Their greenwash.
http://www.walmartgreenroom.com/