Think Wal-Mart will benefit local farmers or eaters? Really?

Recently we've heard that Wal-Mart intends to expand into two new markets, local food and urban neighborhoods. For people who like or need their stuff cheap and plentiful, these sound like really great ideas but on closer examination the long-term consequences have proven otherwise. Normally I wouldn't post anything about Wal-Mart on my blog because it goes against my core philosophy, that people are healthier and happier when they are for something rather than against something. But I can’t let this opportunity pass.

Last week I started hearing some friends and acquaintances talking about how great it would be to buy their local food from Wal-Mart, and that this market will be good for farmers and eaters. Really? This morning while drinking my coffee and reading the news I came across this article, Wal-Mart and the End of the Local Food Movement. It concisely lays out what really happens to producers who enter into a "partnership" with Wal-Mart. Low paying jobs, family owned business driven out of town, producers enslaved by bullying contract negotiations, huge formerly healthy producers periodically driven into bankruptcy, and ravaged communityscapes when the company abandons a megastore to build a super-mega store 3 miles down the road. Think a small family farm can survive these practices? Not likely.

Scary!  Nooooo....doooon't doooo iiiiit!