March 24-31 is National Farmworker Awareness Week. In perusing a recent newsletter from the folks who made Food Chains , I discovered the alarming stat that 85 percent of the fruits and vegetables we eat in the United States are hand picked.
That means by human beings. Human beings whom we rarely think about as we decide what to eat every day.
For me, this comes on the heels of having seen the movie Food Chains which now is airing in 50 cities in the country as well as being available to watch in iTunes for .99 cents. This is an important documentary about farmworkers in Florida who take on the supermarket industry. It is about their attempt to lead fellow farmworkers, who are suffering subhuman working and living conditions, out of poverty.
Maybe it’s a good opportunity for us this week to read a bit about what farmworkers are enduring and think about our sources of food. It doesn’t stop with the farmer. Someone has to pick it. The producers of Food Chains have done a great job with their website and social awareness campaigns. Check out their Take Action page to get involved.
Sally Ooms 