Is Sysco Monopolizing Our Food Choices?

[gravenewworld]

Gasp! How dare they make a profit! The nerve! Why such temerity practically forces you into speciously claiming that they're engaging in monopolistic market-fixing, rather than giving people exactly what they ask for.

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GASP! How dare anyone question corporate profits. The market demanded things like subprime loans why should corporate banks be blamed for all the mess that is happening right now?

And in case you didn't read it properly let me state the TITLE OF THE THREAD AGAIN "Sysco monopolizing what we eat?" That is a question, not a statement of fact. I opened a thread to see how people felt about the fact that much of their food may come from a single source.

Bad food? Says who? The fact that Sysco is doing well means that they sell good food. Unless, of course, everyone except you likes "bad food".

Yeah and I bet all those banks that were making huge profits 10 years ago that are now looking for a government hand out made "good loans" too. Profits in no way reflect on quality being provided.

You can, of course, examine the food at the grocery store before you buy it...

Yeah and I'm sure just by eye examining that "fresh" salmon (that probably comes from a massive fish farm) in your grocery store's seasfood section you could have known that it contains more polychlorinated biphenyl contaminants than freshly caught wild salmon.

So what? I'm still not clear on why you've made this thread. The OP mentioned monopolies, which Sysco is not, and fresh food, which Sysco does provide. I don't get your point: this still seems like a random anti big-company rant.

Mentions, monopoly in a question. Doesn't state it as a fact. This is nothing more than opening up a discussion.

Does Sysco provide fresh foods? Yes. Do they also provide a lot of frozen premade stuff? Yes.

Soo... you are anti-profit??!?

Yes, I voted communist this past election.

c'mon - you're the one doing random ranting here. You haven't even said what you mean by "fresh". Sysco says it's fresh, so who are we to argue?

And food manufacturers like craft call their products cheese when in fact they aren't, but just cheese product. Who is anyone to argue that Kraft is not really selling cheese? If they say they are selling cheese they must be doing so right? Do you really need me to post the merriam webster dictionary definition of fresh? I think not. Your are a smart guy.

Ok. So if I get the Mozarrella Sticks at TGI Friday's, they're probably premade and frozen. Yah, I get that. It's not news to me and I suspect it isn't news to you - so what is your point? What does that have to do with monopolies and frehsness?

Again, this just sounds like random ranting againsst a successful big company.

And it's not just TGIF and chain restaurants. Sysco ships to over 400,000 restaurants, which is clearly more than the number of chain restaurants in all of the US, which include your local diners and mom and pop restaurants.

Look, gravenewworld, this is real simple: I've had the $18 Jack Daniels Steak and Shrimp at TGI Friday's and I've had a $65 Fillet and Lobster at a casino in Tahoe. I enjoyed both and and both were worth what I paid for them and I had no illusions about either when I ordered them. So what is wrong with that?

So how does it feel to have paid $18 and $65 for a meal that has a good chance of being nothing more than a frozen TV dinner?

Yah, sometimes people eat food that has been mass-produced and/or frozen. If they know what they are eating, why is that a problem? Are you saying you always eat freshly-killed meat and locally grown vegetables? Are you some kind of elitist? Please tell me you are at least a gourmet chef, because I'll be very disappointed otherwise!

The problem is that people don't always know what they are eating. Restaurants and food suppliers, like turbo pointed out are not transparent about the source of their food at all.

Yes I always eat freshly killed meats and locally grown veggies.

Time to go squirrel hunting in my backyard.

 

[edward]

A company can only be as good as its suppliers. On the other hand they could hire their own food inspectors.

TAMPA - A state investigation into fake grouper showing up in Tampa Bay area restaurants has ended in a settlement with the giant food-service company Sysco Corp., which supplied many of the restaurants serving the bogus grouper.

Owners of restaurants caught up in the probe say they will be more mindful of checking deliveries in the future but it is tough to police fish because many fillets look alike

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/sep/04/na-state-orders-sysco-to-reel-in-false-grouper-cla/

 

[CaptainQuasar]

GASP! How dare anyone question corporate profits. The market demanded things like subprime loans why should corporate banks be blamed for all the mess that is happening right now?

And in case you didn't read it properly let me state the TITLE OF THE THREAD AGAIN "Sysco monopolizing what we eat?" That is a question, not a statement of fact. I opened a thread to see how people felt about the fact that much of their food may come from a single source.

Yes, well many of the issues you're bringing up are radically divergent from discussing monopolistic practices, yet you are advancing them while appearing to meticulously avoid the answer to your question, which is a definite and unambiguous "No."

Question corporate profits all you want. Just don't try to pretend, after Astronuc presented numbers showing that Sysco probably doesn't even control half their own market (at least! much less generally control "what we eat!"), that the percentage of their profits derived from food you do not personally find aesthetically pleasing has any relevance whatsoever to whether Sysco is doing anything monopolistic or even remotely underhanded.

If you're going to be carelessly blurring the line between "Sysco has icky food" and "Sysco is committing criminal market fixing" you should expect that people are going to call you on it.

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