How does the largest privately owned company in the U.S. impact you?

Plenty.

You may not realize how much you buy at the grocery store has been imprinted by the agribusiness giant Cargill, but Cargill ingredients are everywhere in your supermarket. There isn't any Cargill-brand food but its hidden food products are probably on your dinner table tonight.

Cargill's dominant role in the food system can affect your nutrition, the safety of your food, and the sustainability of food production.

Here's why Cargill matters to shoppers :

• Recalls: Cargill has recalled more than 20 million pounds of beef and poultry products tainted with E. coli and Listeria bacteria, respectively since 2000. This recalled meat has been linked to foodborne illness outbreaks, miscarriages, and several deaths.

• Unsustainable practices: Cargill has turned a blind eye to environmental destruction and labor abuses taking place as a result of its operations around the world.

• Food Stranglehold: In 2008, High prices for the food that Cargill exported worldwide coincided with low prices for the tropical crops that Cargill purchases – benefiting Cargill – and making the ability to purchase food beyond the reach of many rural communities in developing countries. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Avoid genetically modified, irradiated and carbon monoxide treated foods and tell retailers you don’t want them.

• Buy local foods.

• Demand stronger oversight and enforcement.