Current trends suggest six or fewer global food retailers will evolve over the next few years. Only one, Wal-Mart, is a U.S. firm. The rest are European. Meals away from home contain more calories and fat and less fiber. One third of Americans are obese, up from one quarter a decade ago.
Obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.
One outbreak can result in hundreds of thousands of illnesses. Concern is growing that antibiotics used as growth promotants in animals threaten human use. Now there's Mad Cow Disease. In our global economy, it's increasingly difficult to reply with absolute certainty. The Water Keeper Alliance, an environmental group, has announced plans to file lawsuits against large livestock polluters.