Within less than two years, San Francisco will have lost three full-service grocery stores in neighborhoods with already limited grocery access. But how did we get here? Grocery chain corporations will point to theft, profitability, or changing consumer behavior as reasons for their closure, but there is another side to this story that should be talked about - corporate consolidation.
In this webinar, we will explore how corporate consolidation in the supermarket industry impacts food access, worker conditions, food prices, and the long-term wellbeing of our communities. Melanie Canales from RAFI will walk us through their Grocery Gap Atlas - why it was developed and how to use it - and examine what happens to smaller grocery stores when policies like the Robinson-Patman Act are not enforced.
We will then ground these national trends in San Francisco’s local reality. Worker-Owner of Other Avenues Grocery Cooperative, Celia LoBuono Gonzalez, will brief us on the history of SF’s grocery retail landscape and a community membe will share their experience in responding to the recent closure of the Fillmore Safeway and the impacts it has on those living in the neighborhood.
At the end of this webinar, you'll have a better understanding of how where you are impacts what you eat and how corporate consolidation reduces access to local food stores.