Farm Slaves by Liora Leah

ALERT OF THE WEEK:
END MODERN-DAY SLAVERY IN U.S. FIELDS
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA)-- representing over 850,000 consumers across the U.S. -- has joined a growing alliance in support of the Florida-based Coalition for Immokalee Workers' campaign to “End Slavery and Sweatshops in the Fields.” While the organic and sustainable agricultural movement has traditionally focused primarily on health and environmental issues, the time is long overdue to integrate Fair Trade and worker justice issues into our alternative food and farming system. Consumers need to understand that much of the so-called “natural” food** and produce, such as tomatoes, sold in natural food stores like Whole Foods are actually coming from chemical-intensive farms where low wages and labor exploitation are the norm. Please join this growing campaign. Click here to sign the petition: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=947

End Exploitation and Modern-day Slavery in the Florida Fields

Show your support for the Florida field workers who supply Burger King and other food industry leaders by signing this petition.

Burger King and other food industry leaders are supplied by workers who are are paid poverty wages that have barely changed in 30 years; forced to work long hours without overtime; subjected to physical abuse by supervisors, denied benefits such as sick days, paid leave, and health insurance, and are punished for organizing. Some of these workers are also forced to endure modern-day slavery. There have been six successful federal prosecutions of farm labor operations for servitude in Florida over the past decade, and a seventh was just initiated.

Burger King and other food industry leaders have a lot of power to affect change through their purchasing power. However so far they have failed to use this power to benefit the workers and have refused to join Yum! Brands and McDonald's in working with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to improve farm labor conditions.

Let Burger King and other food providers know that this is unacceptable and that as a consumer you are prepared to participate in a boycott, were one called, unless they agree to: 1. Pay a penny more per pound for tomatoes and ensure that the increase is passed on to tomato pickers in the form of increased wages; and 2. Work with the CIW to establish and enforce a human rights-based code of conduct, including zero tolerance for forced labor, to ensure fair and safe working conditions.

Sign the petition here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=947

Participate in other OCA action-alerts: http://www.organicconsumers.org/action.cfm

**Liora's Note: Consumers beware!!

"Natural" food does NOT mean "Organic"!! Unless a food is labeled "certified organic", you don't know what you are getting, and unless you personally know the farmer and ask if they use chemicals on their crops, you are most likely buying "natural" produce that is coated with pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, just like any other conventional crop. Whole Foods isn't the only large chain store that touts their produce as being "natural"; only some of their produce is ORGANIC and this must be clearly labeled on each and every piece of fruit or vegie you buy. By labeling it "natural" they can get away with charging the consumer more money.

Be especially careful when buying packaged/processed/canned foods labeled "natural" and read the labels!! Even packaging labeled "organic" may have non-organic and/or GMO (genetically engineered) ingredients in it. Unless all the ingredients say "organic" in front of them, it isn't!! For example, whenever you see "soy lecithin" listed, unless it says "organic soy lecithin" it is in all probability GMO and pesticided, even if the rest of the ingredients on the label say "organic." The same thing applies whenever you see "canola oil" or "corn oil." The majority of soy, corn, and canola grown in this country is GMO'd. READ THE LABELS!!