Humane Educator's Toolbox: Tomato Pickers Living on $20 a Day

When people talk about healthy food and food justice issues, they often speak about organics, or public health, or subsidies, or obesity, or even sometimes the impact on the environment and animals. Much less often, they talk about the impact of our food system on the agricultural workers, many of whom are people of color, are poor, are immigrants -- and who are often treated like slaves.

In a recent video (about 5 mins), Daniel Klein of The Perennial Plate talks with Lupe Gonzalo, who picks tomatoes in Florida -- and often gets paid about $20 a day. Watch the video:



The Coalition for Immokalee Workers (CIW) is working to improve the way farm laborers are treated. Right now they're campaigning for companies to agree to a penny-per-pound increase for picked tomatoes. Some companies have signed on, but others, like Chipotle, have resisted.

This video is a great springboard for introducing discussion about the conditions U.S. farm workers endure, and how the external costs of our food continue to be hidden.

~ Marsha

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