In my opinion the food industry having a monopoly on what we eat, just as Google and Facebook will have a monopoly web content. Is this a risk on society?
By definition, “the food industry” is that set of all suppliers that supply food to consumers. It shouldn’t surprise us that they have a “monopoly”, because if there were another supplier, they too would be part of the “food industry”. In general, tautologies aren’t cause for concern. Also, both Google and Facebook can’t possibly have a “monopoly” on web content. If there are two of them, there is a duopoly (but there are, in fact, many more than just those two).
What does this have to do with rationality exactly (or unexactly, if you prefer)?
So, you didn’t have an underlying concern regarding concentration in the food industry?
If you did, here’s some data on full-service restaurants. (Actually, this table does not use the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. Instead, it gives data on the top 4, 8, 20, and 50 firms in the sector.)
Perhaps someone out there is better at interpreting this table than I am, but it looks like, as of 2007 in the US, the top twenty firms took in slightly more than a sixth of the total revenue.
Note: This is only about full-service restaurants. Here is data about other sectors, though. I did not see anything else specifically about food.
I’m not sure what my concern was, I was probably just panicking at the thought of FB’s power. It is worrying however that people still consume food from fast food chains and the centre aisles of supermarkets. I most say the post was sloppy and not well thought out, but I need to articulate more so I had to start somewhere.
I feel fine. Thanks.
By definition, “the food industry” is that set of all suppliers that supply food to consumers. It shouldn’t surprise us that they have a “monopoly”, because if there were another supplier, they too would be part of the “food industry”. In general, tautologies aren’t cause for concern. Also, both Google and Facebook can’t possibly have a “monopoly” on web content. If there are two of them, there is a duopoly (but there are, in fact, many more than just those two).
What does this have to do with rationality exactly (or unexactly, if you prefer)?
+1 for
This would have been a useful phrase during philosophy classes.
Yes I see what I’ve done there and you pretty much dissolved the problem for me. Thanks.
So, you didn’t have an underlying concern regarding concentration in the food industry?
If you did, here’s some data on full-service restaurants. (Actually, this table does not use the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. Instead, it gives data on the top 4, 8, 20, and 50 firms in the sector.)
Perhaps someone out there is better at interpreting this table than I am, but it looks like, as of 2007 in the US, the top twenty firms took in slightly more than a sixth of the total revenue.
Note: This is only about full-service restaurants. Here is data about other sectors, though. I did not see anything else specifically about food.
I’m not sure what my concern was, I was probably just panicking at the thought of FB’s power. It is worrying however that people still consume food from fast food chains and the centre aisles of supermarkets. I most say the post was sloppy and not well thought out, but I need to articulate more so I had to start somewhere.