Nearly every single product lining the brightly lit aisles of a modern supermarket is ultimately owned and controlled by one of only about ten massive multinational conglomerates like Nestle, Unilever, or PepsiCo.

A closer look

Nearly every single product lining the brightly lit aisles of a modern supermarket is ultimately owned and controlled by one of only about ten massive multinational conglomerates like Nestle, Unilever, or PepsiCo. This dense umbrella of shell brands and subsidiary companies provides a grand, deeply comforting illusion of endless consumer choice to satisfy every conceivable demographic preference. It is the ultimate capitalist magic trick, convincing us that we are voting with our wallets and supporting diverse market competition when practically all our disposable income is being funneled upward into the exact same terrifyingly powerful corporate bank accounts regardless of which brightly colored cardboard box we purchase