It enjoys a virtual monopoly throughout much of rural America.

And then you have other chains like Albertsons, which has done the same, and Vaughn's Pavilions Safeway is owned by Albertsons in California.

So Albertsons and Kroger are essentially monopolies in the Bay Area, as well as in Southern California.

And so this economic concentration has led to a actual decline in the number of grocery stores.

Some analyses have pointed to a 25% decline in the number of grocery stores since the late 1990s, when this wave of consolidation really picked up speed.

And so this has led to larger and larger stores, particularly in wealthier suburbs.

And so in a lot of like urban neighborhoods on the one hand, There's a case to be made that you have neighborhoods that are, quote, food deserts.

PX, the post exchange.

Anyway, go ahead.

But it's not just mandating, it's subsidizing too.

So you can't just force the prices.

I think if they can use the same rigorous accounting financial standards as the folks operating these city-owned stores and say, this is how much we sold, this is what the loss was, I do think the city should create rebates for those operators to keep them whole so they stay in business.

But this is the most important thing.

this creates a backstop this creates a social safety net in the grocery system that is not a food bank or food pantry which is essentially downstream of all the operators they get the leftovers they get the food waste they get the donations this creates an upstream back stock that is a primary purchaser product selling the freshest best products that is a low-cost discount that is publicly accountable so you do have low-cost options like you have aldi and lidl opening everywhere in the city you have dollar stores None of them are publicly accountable.

None of them are transparent.

So what is wrong, or what's going on, not just with grocery stores, but with the food supply system in general?