Bestselling authors Eric Schlosser, Tracie McMillan weigh in on Fair Food Program!

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Schlosser: “Everyone who eats fruits and vegetables should care about the farmworkers who harvest these foods.  Our good health depends upon their hard labor…”

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Today, we have two excellent stories from the Fair Food network we’d like to share with you.  The first comes from two of the most respected voices on the country’s food system today, the second from a young woman who will help her generation define the priorities of tomorrow’s food system.  Across the generations there is one thing they very much agree on:  It’s not enough for our food to be organic or local, it also must be fair.

We’ll begin with Eric Schlosser, renowned author of Fair Food Nation and Executive Producer of the documentary “Food Chains,” who sat down with Tracie McMillan, author of New York Times bestseller The American Way of Eating, to discuss human rights in the U.S. agricultural industry and the stunning advances that have been made in the Florida tomato fields.  

Here are a few excerpts from their interview, which was published in the July / August edition of the widely-read Eating Well magazine:

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Fair-Food Tomatoes: What Are They and Are They Worth It?

By Tracie McMillan

… We talked with Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation and executive producer of the James Beard Award-winning film Food Chains, which is about the tomato-worker revolution.

Q: Why did you decide to make a film about tomato workers?
A: The tomato fields of Florida have had some of the worst working conditions in the United States—even modern-day slavery. Picking tomatoes is hard: hot, stressful and a single worker may harvest and carry 4,000 pounds of tomatoes in one day. It’s some of the hardest work you can imagine for some of the lowest pay. Wages had declined over the last 30 years (relative to inflation), and minimum-wage violations and wage theft were routine. So was sexual harassment and farmworkers being treated like indentured servants. A farmworker group, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), has been working hard to change the conditions in Florida.

Q: What is the CIW doing to change tomato-farmworker conditions?
A: They’ve been working on this issue for more than 20 years. One of their initiatives is asking retailers to pay an extra penny a pound for tomatoes. […] Thanks to the CIW’s program, the working conditions in Florida tomato fields are now considered some of the nation’s best.


fairfood_icon_600Q: What’s a Fair Food tomato?

A: The Fair Food label shows that workers who pick those tomatoes were treated right: there was no sexual harassment, the wage was decent, they had avenues for complaining about working conditions. […]

[…] Everyone who eats fruits and vegetables should care about the farmworkers who harvest these foods. Our good health depends upon their hard labor. The organic label is wonderful, but it only describes how a food was produced. And local agriculture is important, too, but it doesn’t guarantee that workers are treated fairly. I’m a big supporter of organic agriculture—but, ultimately, I care more about protecting basic human rights. The Fair Food label lets you know that when you buy that tomato, you’re helping people.

California middle school student, Kiana Fields: “Wendy’s must realize that respect for human rights and worker participation are fundamental elements of the sustainability that customers expect and demand”…

Meanwhile in Berkeley, California, middle schooler Kiana Fields recently came to a similar conclusion about what was important to her in deciding where and what to eat, and about what she calls “the winds of change sweeping the nation” when it comes to the 21st century food industry.

On California’s statewide Day of Service to honor the work of Cesar Chavez, Kiana’s teacher Julie Searle at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School spoke to her class about the historic changes underway in Florida’s tomato fields under the Fair Food Program — and about the fact that some companies, including major fast food chain Wendy’s, still refused to join the Program.  Inspired by the efforts of farmworkers in Florida, Kiana and her classmates made a beautiful display of Fair Food art to decorate their classroom:  

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In addition to her poster, however, Kiana also took it upon herself to send a letter to Wendy’s in order to tell them exactly how she felt about the company’s position on human rights in their supply chain.  Her letter was so eloquent that we simply couldn’t keep it to ourselves:

Dear Wendy’s,

I am a supporter of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and their Fair Food program. I encourage Wendy’s to join the Fair Food Program and help workers picking your tomatoes in Florida. These workers have low pay, harsh conditions and their rights are being violated. Luckily, the Fair Food program is working to change this. Many other fast food companies have already joined this program. These restaurants include McDonald’s, Subway, Burger King, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Taco Bell. Of the five largest fast food corporations, Wendy’s is the only one that hasn’t joined the Fair Food program.

This is absurd because seeing as Wendy’s one of the five largest fast food corporations and make a ton of money because of it, Wendy’s should be more than able to participate. Wendy’s customers expect a higher standard. They expect quality ingredients from sources that respect their workers.

Wendy’s has said, “All of the Florida tomatoes purchased by Wendy’s supply chain cooperative come from suppliers who participate in the Fair Food Program.” This is extremely hard to believe because the Fair Food program is not monitoring Wendy’s supplier. Also, Wendy’s is refusing to say who their supplier is. This isnt a very strong argument and wont hold up against the winds of change sweeping the nation.

Also, while Wendy’s rejects this program your customers are acknowledging this and are not happy. Wendys is getting lots of bad press about this. I suggest Wendy’s agrees to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in order to prevent Wendy’s from being humiliated further. Wendy’s is going to continue losing customers unless they agree to the terms the CIW is suggesting. The cost Wendy’s will have to pay is nothing compared to how much Wendy’s may lose as more and more people learn about the Fair Food Program.

Wendy’s must realize that respect for human rights and worker participation are fundamental elements of the sustainability that customers expect and demand.

Sincerely,

Kiana Fields age 12

Read the last line again, and take a second to reflect on the remarkable insight, heart, and intelligence poured into it by its 12-year old author.  Twelve.  With young people like Kiana out there — and teachers like hers in communities across the country — we can rest assured that the future of the movement for Fair Food is in good hands.  

Now if only the grown men and women who run companies like Wendy’s, Publix, and Kroger — multi-billion dollar food companies that still stand against the “winds of change sweeping the nation” — could demonstrate the same insight, heart, and intelligence as this young lady, then Kiana could have a food industry worthy of her and her friends at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School.  

And, some day, we know she will.