A review by illtakethenightshiftx
The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America's Food Business by Christopher Leonard

informative

4.5

I thought I knew about factory farming, but gosh was I wrong! An eye-opening read about the monopoly Tyson was able to give themselves over the poultry industry (before moving on to hogs and cattle) and the path of destruction left in its wake. I think the arguments and information presented in this book about antitrust laws are extremely relevant to today, given that the laws are being tested like never before with technology companies. It seems as though there were instances where sweeping reforms of the factory farming industry were possible (as recently as the Obama administration, per the book), but lobbyists and big business were louder than those seeking reform. Overall this was an informative and fascinating read that’s extremely approachable. I didn’t find any parts of this to lag or feel like information overload and the narrator was fantastic.

This book should be required reading for anybody interested in big business (derogatory), animal rights, and workers’ rights.

I’d also like to shout out A Concerned Citizen for mentioning this book on the a recent episode of Swindled about Tyson Foods - that you, ACC for recommending this!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal cruelty