… for a round-up of some excellent recent media!

Over the past week we have been brought you updates from the road from the exciting Trader Joe’s Northeast Tour. For those of you who haven’t had a chance to check out those updates, you can find them at the following links:

• Photo report from Day 4 (New York City)
• Photo report from Day 3 of the Tour (Philadelphia)
• Report from Days 1 and 2 of the Tour (Baltimore, DC)

But today we are obliged to break into our regular programming to bring you a media round-up because, while the Tour crew has been hard at work up north, the Campaign has been generating some very well written articles that we just had to share.

We start with the venerable progressive magazine, In These Times. An article, entitled “Coalition of Immokalee Workers Brings Farmworker Movement to the Streets,” published on the inthesetimes.com website August 5th, is one of the most cogent pieces of reporting on the Campaign for Fair Food that we have seen for a long time (and we say that despite the fact that it calls us a “motley alliance of some of the country’s poorest workers”!). The article gets most everything right, and very little wrong, which is, sadly, rare achievement in the world of journalism today. And it ends on this encouraging note:

“… In the absence of strong government regulation, the Coalition’s strategy aims not just to force employers to obey labor laws but also strive for decent working standards overall, in order to turn Florida’s tomato industry from a bastion of poverty into, in Benitez’s words, ‘a model of social accountability for the 21st century.’Whether such industrial change can be wrought by a motley alliance of some of the country’s poorest workers, the biggest food brands, and the savviest customers, has yet to be seen. But if a bunch of migrant farm workers can get Manhattan hipsters to think seriously about who picked their salad this summer, they’re on the road to victory.” read more

Definitely take a moment to read it if you can. Then, once you have finished and are sufficiently moved to take action yourself in the Campaign for Fair Food (if you haven’t already…), then take a look at the second article of today’s round-up, “Chewing on Food Justice with Mae Singerman,” from pursueaction.org. It’s a quick Q & A profile of one Fair Food activist living in New York City and participating in New York’s formidable Community/Farmworker Alliance. Here’s a quick look:

“… How do you think this labor-focused coalition work fits into the broader food justice/food sovereignty movement?I think Chipotle is a great example of where the movement is at and where there is room for growth. Chipotle has refused to sign an agreement with the CIW for years. They know about the abuse of workers in the supply chain and have actively turned away. At the same time, they have very publicly committed to serve “food with integrity,” focusing on only buying pigs that have been treated humanely. I am all for treating pigs humanely. I’m also for treating humans humanely. Chipotle is a growing company and they know humanely-treated pigs sell them more burritos. Our movements have brought organic and cage-free into the mainstream. Now, we need to do the same for workers’ rights in the supply chain. I want to ensure that companies who abuse workers are publicly humiliated into changing their ways, that governments are pressured to take a stand against abuse and that “food with integrity” includes workers’ rights. This also goes for Trader Joe’s that has built its reputation on a similar image as Chipotle.” read more

Finally, the Bradenton (FL) Times published a story on August 6th, entitled “A Penny for Your Thoughts… About Tomatoes,” that steps back a bit and takes a broader view of the Campaign for Fair Food. Here’s a quote:

“… It’s hard to imagine making the same wages we were 30 years ago. USA Today reported Fortune 500 CEO’s wages were up 27% from just a year ago. I am sure if asked, everyone of them would tell you they’re worth it. It has become a trend to keep raising the ceiling for CEO compensation and often it is made by lowering the floor on the poor. What it appears they don’t understand is that if those on the floor quit buying things, quit spending everything they have to just stay alive, everything at the top will surely collapse. Luxury goods alone cannot keep the economy afloat. It seems the jury is still out on trickle-down, but it has always been in on trickle-up…” read more

So, there you have it, a trio of excellent and varied articles on the Campaign for Fair Food that, together, make a very nice reading list for those moments between updates from the Trader Joe’s Northeast Tour.

And speaking of the Tour… check back soon for photo reports from White Plains, NY, and Providence, RI!