On Wednesday, Mars Inc. announced plans to acquire Kellanova, a spin-off of Kellogg’s snack division, in a $36 billion effort to dominate the snack market. In 2022, just four corporations cornered over two-thirds of the snack and cereal bar market — Kellogg’s and Mars alone controlled 49 percent. Post acquisition, Mars could take in half of all snack and cereal bar sales, making the market highly consolidated and triggering federal review.

Research from Food & Water Watch and the Federal Trade Commission detail how growing market concentration leads to fewer consumer choices and rising food prices. As recently as 2015, a Kraft-Heinz mega-merger solidified the conglomerate’s dominance across one-fifth of food categories considered in FWW’s report.

In response, Food & Water Watch Research Director Amanda Starbuck issued the following statement:

“American grocery shoppers are suffering from high prices and fewer choices on the shelves — Mars’ Kellanova acquisition would only make it worse. While processed food giants stand to ramp up profits from snack market domination, the American consumer will lose out with higher costs and fewer healthy options. A shrinking number of ever-larger corporations control a growing share of the food we buy, putting decisions about our health and finances in the hands of corporate kingpins. We must reverse this trend.

“The Biden-Harris administration has committed to reining in the food monopolies. The Federal Trade Commission must intervene to block this destructive corporate coupling.”