Walanthropy | Civil Eats

Walanthropy

Walmart and the Waltons Wield Unprecedented Influence Over Food, Policy, and the Planet.

In this ongoing investigative series, we take a detailed look at Walmart and its founding family’s influence over the American food system, over the producers and policymakers who shape it, and how its would-be critics are also its bedfellows.

a gritty image of a produce section with dollar bills mixed in, showing the intertwined financial and food focuses of Walmart and the Walton Family

The Long Reach of the Walmart-Walton Empire

Walmart’s annual revenues are larger than the GDP of Sweden; its founding family are prolific philanthropists. Their nexus is poorly understood.

walanthropy shipping containers and money representing the walton family and walmart using their resources to shift global shipping to their business benefit

Walmart’s Pandemic Port Squeeze

While most retailers dealt with congested ports and unprecedented shipping prices, Walmart chartered its own ships, increased sales, and used its market gains to sideline competitors. Then it weighed in on shipping reform.