Where Walmart Doesn’t Exist, Ukraine’s Stolen Grain And Inside Gastro

I’m back after a long weekend of drinking mojitos and eating ceviche in Key West, where I was closer to Cuba than to the nearest Walmart. I relished that rarity.

Walmart dominates America’s grocery scene: According to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the superstore chain of 3,500 locations commands more than 50% of grocery sales in 43 major metropolitan areas and 160 smaller markets. In 38 of these regions, like Amarillo, Texas, and Bismarck, North Dakota, Walmart controlled 70% or more of grocery sales.

Yet its reach stops short of the Florida Keys. The string of islands—full of fried grouper sandwiches, Gulf oysters and coconut shrimp—is among the last of America’s holdouts to have successfully avoided the chain, which is owned by the Walton family, worth more than $200 billion, per my colleagues’ estimates. Walmart’s dominance in key regions gives it unmatched power over its suppliers, as well as its other competitors. That’s why Walmart is one of the key forces driving what food Americans have access to today.

There’s been a lot of other notable food-beat news this week. I’m out with a story on the spreading famine in Yemen, and what the largest wheat importer there is trying to do about it. There was also the opening of the second retrial of poultry executives accused by federal prosecutors of conspiring to fix prices. The first two trials ended in hung juries. For this third attempt, the government has axed five of the original ten defendants, each of who had maintained their innocence since the charges were originally filed. The trial is expected to take a few weeks. Rest assured, I’ll keep you updated.

Returning home to all this means that I’m missing my easygoing island mood. But summertime has hit my regular island (Manhattan), and the energy is high. There are so many diners out in the streets, their tables piled with braised white asparagus or burrata with fresh strawberries. I’ve got a strong lineup this weekend, which will include sitting poolside with a new book (now that mine has officially been sent off to the printers!) and a little grilling. I’m wishing you a weekend filled with whatever summer kickoffs feel good to you.

— Chloe Sorvino, Staff Writer

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What’s Fresh

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