What Choice?

The argument that a free enterprise system provides the consumer with a choice of goods and services is of doubtful validity. Ralph Nader in his book The New High Priest-Hood believes that there is a diminishing freedom of choice in the private enterprise system.

His claim is substantiated for NZ if one looks at, say canned fruit. A few years ago there were many different brands of canned fruit on the New Zealand market, but today there are only two significant canned fruit manufacturers in the country. If one goes to the supermarket one may find 15 different brands of soap powder, yet only two companies manufacture these soap powders. People may think that they have a real choice, but in fact they haven't.