search our site     home > key topics > agribusiness/industry concentration   food processing Food processors transform raw agricultural and marine products into intermediate foodstuffs and edible final products. ERS studies changes in the sector's organization, technology, and production costs, and examines how those changes affect farm prices, food prices, and product qualities. related briefing rooms - offer an indepth discussion synthesizing ERS research Rural Industry Traceability in the U.S. Food Supply feature Through the 1970's, the higher wages paid by larger plants almost offset the cost advantages resulting from scale economies in technological advances. However, Consolidation in U.S. Meatpacking finds that the wage premium disappeared in the 1980's and technological change created greater scale economies, resulting in growing cost advantages and a greater share of market production for larger plants. web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov updated: November 20, 2000  Also at ERS... latest publications (all) • Current Issues in Economics of Food Markets • Meat and Poultry Plants' Food Safety Investments: Survey Findings • Food Safety Innovation in the United States: Evidence from the Meat Industry latest data products (all) • Farm and Farm-related Employment resources • Contact an ERS Expert • Calendar of Releases services • Receive E-mail Updates • E-mail This Page • Translate This Page

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