Could Walmart make us healthier?

Long criticized for its employee health care practices and in-store fast food offerings, could Walmart be the America’s answer to improving people’s diets? That’s the suggestion from a recent NPR story, which posits that Walmart’s distribution network and purchasing power could be the key to changing the way Americans eat.

Before we even consider whether there is demand for locally grown fruits and vegetables, the problem is essentially one of supply. According to NPR, 75 percent of food production is currently handled by four percent of farms because of the industrialization of agriculture and subsidies for farmers.