Our food is under threat, writes Willie Nelson and Anna Lappé for the Huffington Post. Here’s what the two activists have to say about modern agriculture:

“It is felt by every family farmer who has lost their land and livelihood, every parent who can't find affordable or healthy ingredients in their neighborhood, every person worried about foodborne illnesses thanks to lobbyist-weakened food safety laws, every farmworker who faces toxic pesticides in the fields as part of a day's work. When our food is at risk we are all at risk.

"Over the last 30 years, we have witnessed a massive consolidation of our food system. Never have so few corporations been responsible for more of our food chain. Of the 40,000 food items in a typical U.S. grocery store, more than half are now brought to us by just 10 corporations. Today, three companies process more than 70% of all U.S. beef: Tyson, Cargill and JBS. More than 90% of soybean seeds and 80% of corn seeds used in the U.S. are sold by just one company: Monsanto. Four companies are responsible for up to 90% of the global trade in grain. And one-in-four food dollars is spent at Walmart.

"What does this matter for those of us who eat? Corporate control of our food system has led to the loss of millions of family farmers, the destruction of soil fertility, the pollution of our water, and health epidemics including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even certain forms of cancer. More and more, the choices that determine the food on our shelves are made by corporations concerned less with protecting our health, our environment, or our jobs than with profit margins and executive bonuses."

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