Disturbed by near-slavery in Florida's tomato industry
I came across this article in Gourmet recently (http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2009/03/politics-of-the-plate-the-price-of-tomatoes) and was appalled and surprised by my naivete of the subject.
As a relatively conscious eater, I had no idea that most of the tomatoes in grocery stores and restaurants (unless locally grown in season) are picked by migrant workers living in slavery in Florida. I started checking out even the more socially responsible establishments in my area and discovered that even they were using imported tomatoes.
None of us really needs a fresh tomato in December (not that they're any good...). So why is this happening? I would like to hear some of your thoughts as it's an important issue and I'm sure cases like this are not isolated to Florida tomatoes.
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20 Comments:
This has been in the news for years. Many people were boycotting Taco Bell because of the use of tomatoes grown and picked by poorly treated migrant workers. (Not sure if TB has changed practices.)
Also some farm markets in my general area had fliers about the topic and statements about where they ordered from and who DID use produce from places like that.
Migrant workers are poorly treated more often than not, with threats of deportation for not working, poor living conditions, no time off, abuse etc. It is horrifying.
If you want to help, find a group in your community/area that works for the rights of migrant farm workers. Learn which local growers use them and how they treat them and who to buy from because of it.
I live in the fruit belt of MI and it is a huge issue here, and because of the publicity conditions are improving in many places and the farms that treat people fairly and well are being lauded for it.
In some cases you can volunteer to make up care packages and boxes of food, make up lunches, help maintain the housing they are given, help to fix the vehicles they use to travel from place to place, give clothing and donations of money towards basic needs and legislation to protect them.
The mistreatment is a scary thing we try to keep in the closet and it should be better publicized.
sadiepix at 6:20PM on 03/09/09
This organization does good work in Florida, and elsewhere. They actually struck an accord with Taco Bell in 2005, and the site has alot of information about their current efforts to end the tomato slavery in Florida.
http://www.ciw-online.org/
erancili at 8:11PM on 03/09/09
mexico, too. i have stopped my occasional winter purchase of desert glory tomatoes and will wait for the greenmarket.
cybercita at 8:15PM on 03/09/09
Yeah, I saw the Gourmet article and wish they would stick with writing about the food and not the often messy business of where it comes from. There's no end to the things they could write about in this regard, and while I try to be conscious of such things, I don't subscribe to Gourmet to read about them. What's next, unsanitary conditions in peanut processing plants? Overfishing of the seas? Force-fed geese? I pay Gourmet to present me each month with glossy pages showing a fantasy world where food is beautiful and nobody gets hurt, not social commentary
Lorenzo at 8:57PM on 03/09/09
@sadiepix: You're right. This issue has been around since at least the time Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath. One of my best friends is a staff attorney for the Michigan Migrant Legal Assistance Project. She's doing good work there. And while it's true there are many foreign farmworkers, there are plenty of others who are low-income U.S. citizens that need help.
@Lorenzo: Don't invest in Gourmet anymore if you're not satisfied with the content. If you just want sexy food pics without guilt, hit SE's Photograzing site. You won't get that tactile, glossy paper in your hands, but you'll get your visual fix and save your scratch.
Susquehanna at 9:53PM on 03/09/09
In defense of "slavery" in Florida, there are many fair and honest tomato/potato farmers that do pay their workers an honest wage. My ex-bil came here from Mexico with nothing and worked for Taylor Fulton Packing House. They provided housing, benefits, and even a company truck at one point.
I realize this is not the case for all workers, but please don't stop buying tomatoes because you think they are all coming from a slave labor camp. I spent many a Christmas holiday at these camps visiting my sil-bil and they were nothing like the one described in this article. Yes, this work is back breakingly hard, but they are treated fairly, at least in my area of Florida and if everyone stops buying tomatoes, they will have no job at all and then what?
floridayaya at 10:35PM on 03/09/09
Living close to the huge tomato farms in Florida, I am aware of the many problems the migrants face. There are several charitable organizations that help alleviate some of the problems. Currently, I am volunteering with a group called "Bedtime Bundles," which puts together clothing and other necessities for the children of migrants. One of the supermarket chains here, Publix, donates day old bread and other baked goods for the migrant families. I help deliver the goods to the migrants once a week. I'm sure that if you look, you can find some way to help.
1stmakearoux at 9:46AM on 03/10/09
I lived many years in the Bay Area, specifically Palo Alto, then moved to Monterey for many years. Salinas, nicknamed the "salad bowl" of America is situated between the two cities, along with Gilroy, the "garlic capitol of the world", Prunedale, and other smaller communities, that produce huge amounts of artichokes, strawberries, avocados, etc. It was so sad to drive Highway 1, or the 101, and see so many farm workers out slaving in the fields in dangerously high temps. That made me want to support the local farm stands along those routes even more, and sharing my concerns with the farm owners. Hope they had their hearing ears on, and not just acted like they did. Also, best produce ever, anywhere!
Karencooks at 2:29PM on 03/10/09
@Susquehanna: I've subscribed to Gourmet for years and always been satisfied with the content, but you are correct that we as consumers vote with our wallets. If Gourmet starts making a habit of including social or environmental responsibility commentary in what has for decades provided the right mix of content for my tastes, I suppose I will find an alternative.
Lorenzo at 3:33PM on 03/10/09
I used to live in that area and the depth of exploitation is horrifying. Floridayaya is correct that it doesn't affect every migrant farm worker, but it affects many, and not just those picking tomatoes.
There are things in this world that are distasteful and difficult to hear about and I have a lot of respect for "Gourmet" for exposing some of it. Even if Lorenzo would rather have a "Gourmet" free from thought-provoking issues, they got a subscription from me with this article.
popcornfordinner at 3:43PM on 03/10/09
I am ashamed to say I HAD NO IDEA. None, whatsoever. And I applaud Gourmet for bringing it to our attention. I have never heard of this on the news, nor has anyone in my circle of foodies ever mentioned knowing of it. I THANK GOURMET WHOLE-HEARTEDLY for raising awareness.
juliebugsmama at 4:47PM on 03/10/09
@1stmakearoux, i'm packing up all of my son's baby clothes and sending them off tomorrow. my parents live in lehigh acres & i forwarded the website, so they'll be helping out, too. i knew a bit about the problem, but i didn't know the extent. this makes me so sad.
dmarina at 11:45PM on 03/11/09
I think it's great that Gourmet did an article about this. Part of eating well is making choices about where you get your food from - out of season tomatoes picked by abused migrant workers does not strike me as being particularly "gourmet", no matter what you do to them after the fact.
Amandarama at 7:32AM on 03/12/09
I had no clue this was going on. I tend to be, without soapboxing, fairly political in the products I use and the food I eat. If I don't like your corporate policies, how you raise chickents, etc. I don't use your product. Which is why my not knowing about this is kind of surprising to me. Kudo's to Gourmet.
That said, how do I know when a product does not come as a result of such practices, other than shopping at Whole Foods only?
Hmmm, I do most of my marketing through FreshDirect. I think I'll e-them and see what their policy is.
chisai at 7:45AM on 03/12/09
@floridayaya- Thanks for pointing this out and I totally agree with you! I live in Oregon where produce like tomatoes isn't locally available except for a few months a year. Thus, our grocery stores only carry the industrial-ag crap that keeps horrible working conditions alive. I know all too well about such conditions because I used to work in a multi-national produce processing facility (shall go unnamed) and most of the undocumented workers "lived" in the company owned storage facility units. Thus, I believe that it is extremely important to continue to buy tomatoes from responsible producers and support an ethical food system that actually cares about it's workers. I believe that if you care about the people and systems involved in making your product, in the end it will be better and more favorable for consumers. Thanks for your response!
oregonpinot at 9:13PM on 03/12/09
Thanks for posting this, oregonpinot. It really makes a difference to support workers' right to organize - all workers. It's tough, given the extent of the problem and the migrant populations, but successes are possible: agricultural workers in NC who pick cucumbers for pickles, vegetable harvesters for Campbell's in Ohio, and strawberry workers in California have all won unionization struggles in recent years.
emilydev at 7:47AM on 03/13/09
At least half of exploited migrant farmworkers in the U.S. are foreign-born people. I stated above that "many" were foreign but, well, "most" is probably the accurate term. So much of the data goes unreported to the government. Also re: my above comment, I simply thought you might be shocked to know that farmers have been known to hire and exploit homeless, mentally-ill U.S. citizens, as well.
So, yes, legions of human beings are treated worse than dogs . . . right here in the United States of America. I admire that Gourmet refused to ignore it when they learned about it. [Bravo Gourmet !].
Susquehanna at 1:23PM on 03/14/09
Are these the same "slaves" who cross the border illegally, drive our health-care institutions out of business--and health-care costs through the roof--by using our emergency health care facilities as routine health care (emergency rooms, at least in CA, are required to treat everyone who walks through the door whether they can pay or not), cause many deaths and injuries every year due to DUI-related traffic accidents, refuse to make an attempt to learn our language and expect us to pander to their every need (meanwhile, giving birth to litters of rugrats we as taxpayers are then forced to pay for)?
Yeah, I thought so. Sorry if I'm not sympathetic.
buffy at 10:54AM on 03/20/09
@Buffy: Your view is welcome, despite it's hideous generalizations. Though, I'll never understand how one can assume all members in a group act and think the same way. Hell, immediate family members are rarely the same. Anyway, in regards to your assertion that farmworkers " . . . expect us to pander to their every need," it's hard to imagine that is true when farmworkers are willing to sleep on straw pallets on a dirty warehouse floor (or similar conditions) in close proximity to where they defecate and pay 25 cents for access to a shower once a week . . . just for an opportunity to work a job that no reasonable U.S. citizen desires. Also, most farmworkers pay retail taxes on goods and many pay into the Social Security system (in authorized and authorized ways). So, those "rugrats" are getting the fruit of their parents' labor.
Consider this: The U.S. government treats a lot of murderers better than some farmers treat farmworkers. At least prison living conditions are sanitary and medical care is available. I sure do hope you're not more sympathetic to the murderers. Guaranteed, buffy, that the murderers and other violent criminals are eating more of your tax dollars than any farmworker. Food for thought.
Susquehanna at 2:50PM on 03/20/09
I'm well aware of the dirtbags' cost to the taxpayers and it makes me even angrier. I think our prisons should consist of tents like they do in TX. Matter of fact, I think the dirtbags are the ones who should be out there picking the damn tomatoes and carrying the irrigation pipes.
And I'm also well aware that not everyone in these groups of migrant farm workers are the same, but where I live, their living conditions are pretty comfortable. I see them on a daily basis. Yes, some are honest, hardworking people. Many are not, and are causing our state and the health care industry to go bankrupt because of it. As a person working in the health care industry, and seeing services cut back more and more to the people who really need them, because of the thousands of others who abuse the system, it makes me very, very angry.
buffy at 4:26PM on 03/20/09