Monday, January 24, 2011

Fields of Tears- from The Economist

In December, The Economist Magazine wrote an insightful article about immigrant farm workers in America. As important as it is for you to know how your chicken and beef got to your dinner plate, so you should be educated as to how your grapes and strawberries made it as well. The article is very objective- pointing out the despair that drives Hispanics to cross illegally and work in poor conditions for pennies, while also presenting factually why what is going on is so harmful for everyone involved. It is good reminder of the potential "high cost of low price" when buying food.

1 comment:

Suasoria said...

I would like to say conditions are better for meat/dairy workers, but they aren't, and federal labor laws don't apply to them either. These dangerous and difficult jobs are done by low-wage, mostly immigrant laborers. This demand for cheap food, at the expense of human and animal dignity, is protected by our laws and accepted in our culture.