Who are the modern day robber barons of our food system?

“At least 100 years ago, the last robber barons, we got nice libraries out of it. This one, it’s like ‘oh, what is the family using its money for? To gut public education via charter school networks?’ It’s kind of Machiavellian–it’s Machiavellian in a really sad way” This week on the show, I’m talking with Austin Frerick, the author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry. Frerick uncovers the sometimes shocking facts about seven large companies who play an outsized role in our nation’s food system. From hog barons to coffee barons, to Indiana’s own dairy barons, Fair Oaks farm. 

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Earth Eats is a show about food and farming. It’s storytelling, recipes, farm visits, and kitchen sessions. We have conversations with scholars, chefs, growers, and food justice activists. We hear from authors, artists, scientists, poets, and people who love to eat. Earth Eats is a production of WFIU Public Radio and Indiana Public Media.