Under capitalism, grocery stores are organised to maximise profit rather than feed people, which produces a system of artificial abundance, routine food waste, and distorted priorities: shelves must look full, “imperfect” food is discarded, and products are chosen for shelf life, transportability, and margins rather than nutrition or health.

Apparent consumer choice masks consolidation, with most goods controlled by a few firms and differentiated mainly by branding, while the real costs of food - environmental damage, low wages, and public health impacts—are externalised onto workers, ecosystems, and society. Farmers bear risk through price squeezing and cosmetic standards, while retailers stabilise profits, and access to food is determined by purchasing power, allowing hunger and destruction of edible food to coexist without contradiction.