Summary
America's food system works, but trusting it and depending entirely on it are two different things. Much of what happens between the farm and your table depends on companies and supply chains you cannot control. Preparedness gives your family another option.
The Grocery Store Hides How Little Control We Have over Our Food
A full grocery store makes food look almost guaranteed.
Meat is cold. Produce is stacked high. Packages carry names we have known for years.
But that abundance depends on a long chain of growers, processors, distributors, and retailers working as expected.
We only see the last stop.
And we control almost nothing that happens before it.
That matters because more of that food chain is now concentrated in fewer hands.
Fewer Companies Control More of America's Food Chain
USDA has documented growing concentration in 3 important parts of agribusiness: Seeds, meatpacking, and food retail. [1]
Concentration is not automatically bad.
Larger operations can lower production costs and move enormous amounts of food efficiently.
But it also means a relatively small number of companies can control critical points between the farm and the grocery store.
Four Companies Handle Most U.S. Cattle and Hog Purchases
The USDA's newest Packers and Stockyards report shows just how concentrated meat processing remains.
In 2024, the 4 largest packers accounted for 82% of federally inspected steer and heifer slaughter and 64% of hog slaughter. [2]
Those are national figures.
USDA notes that the regional markets where cattle are purchased for slaughter are generally even more concentrated.
That is the part that matters to the rest of us.
A huge share of America's beef and pork passes through a small number of companies before it reaches the grocery store.
Smithfield gives us a good example of what that concentration can look like.
Smithfield is one of America's largest pork companies, but it is not majority U.S.-owned.
As of April 8, 2026, approximately 87% of Smithfield's shares were owned by Hong Kong-based WH Group. [3]
That ownership is only half the story.
Smithfield also operates across much of the pork supply chain—from raising hogs to processing pork to producing packaged meats.
About 40% of the raw materials used by its Fresh Pork segment come from its own Hog Production segment, and nearly all of the hogs produced by that segment are processed by Smithfield's Fresh Pork business. [3]
And about 80% of the raw materials used by its Packaged Meats segment then come from Fresh Pork. [3]
So the same company can raise the hog, process the pork, and turn it into packaged food for the grocery store—all while the majority ownership of that company sits with a corporation based in Hong Kong.
That places a significant portion of one major American pork producer's operations under the same corporate umbrella.
Control of the Food Supply Begins with the Seed
Long before food reaches a packing plant or grocery store, farmers need the basic ingredients required to produce it: Seeds.
Independent seed companies do not necessarily develop all their own seed technology.
Some license that technology from much larger companies and use it to produce the seeds they sell to farmers.
That gives the companies that own the technology influence over the terms under which independent seed sellers can use it.
A recent case involving Bayer shows how this can work.
In May 2026, the Justice Department said Bayer's loyalty program tied certain discounts to corn and soybean sales targets. [4]
The program also included incentives that could make independent seed companies less willing to license technology from Bayer's competitors.
Bayer removed the provisions and committed not to reinstate them—or substantially similar incentives—for 7 years.
This does not mean Bayer controls every seed planted in America.
But it does demonstrate how contracts written far above the farm can affect the choices that eventually reach farmers.
A farmer may see several seed brands for sale, but some of the technology behind those brands can still come from the same large supplier.
American agriculture also relies heavily on imported potash, a major source of potassium used in fertilizer.
Potassium is an essential plant nutrient for which no substitute exists.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, net imports accounted for an estimated 92% of apparent U.S. potash consumption in 2025. [5]
Seeds and fertilizer are different markets, but they raise a similar preparedness concern: Food production depends on essential inputs whose availability, price, and supply chains farmers do not fully control.
Large Retailers Decide What Reaches Millions of Shoppers
Control appears at the other end of the food chain, too.
PwC reported in June 2026 that national retailers collectively control more than half of the U.S. grocery market.
Their combined share increased by approximately 1.5 percentage points between 2020 and 2025 as consolidation continued. [6]
According to the Associated Press, Walmart accounts for roughly 21% of the U.S. grocery market, compared with approximately 8.5% for Kroger. [7]
Because of their enormous reach, decisions made by the largest retailers about which products, brands, and suppliers they carry can affect what millions of Americans find in their stores.
Put the pieces together, and the vulnerability becomes clearer.
Farmers depend on outside companies and international supply chains for some critical inputs.
Millions of consumers then depend on large retailers to make food available in their communities.
At both ends of the system, individual families have limited control over the business decisions that shape how food is produced and what ultimately reaches store shelves.
Your Pantry Is the Part of the Food System You Control
Until food is in your home, your family is depending on someone else to grow it, process it, ship it, stock it, and keep it available at a price you can afford.
Building your own food reserve changes that.
Stored Emergency Food Gives You Time When Resupply Stops
Start by keeping more of the foods your family already eats and rotating them through your pantry.
Then add long-term emergency food that's specifically reserved for disruptions that last longer than your everyday pantry can cover.
How much you store should depend on how long you want your household to function without resupply.
A few weeks can provide breathing room during shorter disruptions.
Several months gives you a much larger buffer when the problem does not resolve quickly.
Our 4-Week Emergency Food Supply provides one person with an average of more than 2,000 calories per day for 4 weeks and has a shelf life of up to 25 years when stored properly.
It includes 16 food and drink varieties, so you're storing an actual emergency food supply rather than simply counting servings.
For households preparing for longer disruptions, My Patriot Supply also offers larger emergency food kits that can extend that food reserve for months.
Seeds Give You Something Stored Food Cannot
Emergency food gives you something to eat now. Seeds give you the possibility of producing more later.
Our Survival Seed Vault adds that renewable layer with 20 varieties of heirloom fruits and vegetables.
The seeds are open-pollinated and non-hybrid, which means seeds can be harvested and replanted when they are grown and saved correctly.
They are also triple-sealed for long-term storage in a compact steel canister.
Build More Than One Way to Feed Your Family
A resilient food plan does not depend on a single source.
- Keep a working pantry.
- Add long-term emergency food for disruptions.
- Grow some of what you can.
- Buy directly from local farmers and ranchers when possible.
None of that requires abandoning the grocery store. It simply means the grocery store is no longer your only option.
How long could your household eat if the grocery store stopped being an option? Let us know in the comments below.
In liberty,
Elizabeth Anderson
Preparedness Advisor, My Patriot Supply
Sources
[1] MacDonald, James M., Xiao Dong, and Keith O. Fuglie.Concentration and Competition in U.S. Agribusiness. Economic Information Bulletin No. 256. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, June 2023. https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/106794
[2] U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service.Packers and Stockyards Division Annual Report: Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024. September 2026. https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/PSD_Combined_2023_2024_Annual_Report.pdf
[3] Smithfield Foods, Inc.Quarterly Report for the Period Ended June 28, 2026. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/91388/000009138826000051/smf-20260628.htm
[4] U.S. Department of Justice.Antitrust Division Secures Seed Tying and Loyalty Program Commitments from Bayer. May 20, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/antitrust-division-secures-seed-tying-and-loyalty-program-commitments-bayer
[5] U.S. Geological Survey.Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. U.S. Department of the Interior, 2026. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/mcs2026
[6] Ross, Mike, and Jeffrey Coseo.Is Consolidation Quietly Coming for Your Neighborhood Grocery Store? PwC, June 17, 2026. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/consumer-markets/grocery-deals-consolidation-outlook.html
[7] Durbin, Dee-Ann.Kroger Names Former Walmart Executive as Its New CEO. Associated Press, February 9, 2026. https://apnews.com/article/3e28133cecd870c7ae65a10d422d1a45
