Big Ag and Big Pharma: The Connection Between What You Eat and How Long You Live

By Ashley Armstrong

Story at a glance:

• Chronic disease rates in America have increased dramatically, from 7.5% of the population in the 1930s to 60% today, representing a 700% surge, while obesity now affects 40% of Americans.
• Four companies (Bayer, Syngenta, BASF and Corteva) dominate the agricultural market, with Bayer controlling 18.2% of global agrochemicals and, together with Corteva, over half of U.S. retail seed sales for major crops.
• The concentration ratio of 4 (CR4) in U.S. agriculture has reached extreme levels — 85% in beef packing, 70% in pork packing and 95% control of corn intellectual property by just four companies.
• In 2024, pharmaceutical companies spent $294 million on lobbying, while agribusinesses spent $32.7 million, with Bayer alone spending $6.46 million in the U.S.
• Modern industrial agriculture mimics pharmaceutical business models by creating dependency cycles. Farmers must repeatedly purchase synthetic inputs while patients require ongoing medication rather than cure-focused treatments.

America is facing a health crisis. In the 1930s, just 7.5% of Americans suffered from chronic diseases.

Today, that figure has surged by over 700%, with 60% of Americans now living with one or more chronic conditions. We are also fatter than ever — obesity rates have reached 40% and continue to climb.

Even more alarming, the U.S. is the only developed nation where both healthy life expectancy and total life expectancy are in decline — a trend that began before COVID-19. In other words, we’re not living as long as our grandparents did, despite all of our technological advancements.