Slave Labor That Shames America

The agricultural sector keeps costs low by relying on immigrant labor to harvest fruits and vegetables quickly and efficiently. Employers confront rising energy costs and consumers balk at higher prices. With a political environment that encourages public resentment over illegal immigration, many employers take advantage of the vulnerable illegal workers, reducing pay and imposing brutal work conditions. “Fruit-pickers, who typically earn about $200 (£100) a week, are part of an unregulated system designed to keep food prices low and the plates of America's overweight families piled high,” writes Leonard Doyle for the Independent. Workers accrue injuries and debt, and the conditions only encourage crime and health crises throughout farming communities. Activists target major corporations, such as Burger King, to pay more for produce like tomatoes, but executives question whether the money would really reach or help the workers. For now, consumers and companies find it easier to look the other way and not admit that every meal includes a hefty portion of human-rights abuses. – YaleGlobal