The aim of the study was to show the essence of global value chains and their relocation internationally. The changes taking place in the agri-food industry are shown, consisting primarily on acquisitions of many links of these chains by multinational corporations and strengthening by multinational corporations their position on the international market. That is the reason why those entities become main beneficiaries of the processes taking place in the global economy. The losers of these processes are primarily smallholders from the south and plantation workers, who are the weakest links in the value chain.