You will NEVER want to buy a bag of supermarket salad again: How migrant farmworkers are treated

[Surya Gayatri]

How migrant farmworkers picking vegetables for major stores are treated like 'slaves' and live in filthy conditions

* Salads sold in UK are grown by workers 'denied basic hygiene facilities'

* Employees use bushes near where vegetables are being grown as toilets

* Some live in filthy shacks made of wood and plastic sheeting near fields

* Claim to be sprayed with pesticides and be left unpaid for hours worked


Mistreatment allegations: Workers picking food for Agroherni in Spain which supplies top UK supermarkets



The revelations will horrify millions of customers of British supermarkets, all of which tell consumers their food is produced ethically and that workers are treated fairly.

A firm that supplies salad and vegetables to Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda is among those accused of using mistreated workers. Some workers say they have developed horrific sinus conditions and bronchitis as a result of being sprayed with the pesticides while producing the vegetables in the fields of Murcia.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3039046/Read-never-buy-bag-supermarket-salad-farmworkers-treated-like-slaves-live-filthy-conditions-major-stores-promise-inquiry.html

[mylye2222]

1. Thanks for sharing.

Its nothing but modern slavery.

[Surya Gayatri]

3. De rien, ma chère. Comment va ?

De l'escalvage moderne ? Je dirais plutôt médiévale ! Et, c'est la même scandale in France.

[merrily]

2. crap. Does this apply to organic brands carried in the supermarket?

(Sorry if the article says that, but I am way too tired right now to read it.)

Between palm oil and pesticides and carcinogenic chemical additives and and and, organic salad mix is one of the few things I enjoyed that I felt fine about from both a health standpoint and an environmental standpoint.

[Surya Gayatri]

4. Personally, I'm not at all sure that the 'BIO' label

(as organics are called in France) guarantees that these practices aren't going on.

[merrily]

5. Thanks. At some point, someone needs to make a list of what I can eat that is healthy and

environmentally friendly and socially responsible. Someone who specializes is that kind of thing, as part of what they do for a living or an extensive hobby.

Even a cantaloupe can be contaminated. Otherwise, people might just finally throw up their hands and eat whatever they feel like eating.

[Surya Gayatri]

6. You know, I'm just about at that point...

of throwing up my hands and 'eating whatever I feel like eating.'

Within reason and with moderation, of course! LOL!

[merrily]

7. I talked big, or keyboarded big, but the truth is, I would have a very hard time

going back to foods that list one potentially carcinogenic chemical after another on the ingredient list. Even when I make up my mind I am going to grab a bag of Fritos for once, something stops me.

Maybe today.

[Surya Gayatri]

8. OK, I'll admit it. I sometimes hanker after Fritos. Can't get them over here in France, so have to

settle for second best! LOL!

[merrily]

9. Does Amazon ship to France?

[Surya Gayatri]

10. Prohibitively expensive. LOL!

I don't need them THAT much! Nor does my blood pressure (beaucoup salt).

[merrily]

11. Maybe one bag, as a special treat for your birthday.

[Surya Gayatri]

12. Long wait...that's next November! LOL!

[GreatGazoo]

28. Here is Earthbound Farms promo video

To be organic and GAP ("Good Agricultural Practices&quot certified employees must have access to PortaJohns and hand washing. Preventing cross contamination is a huge priority for produce that will be consumed uncooked.

I used to live near lettuce fields in California. Many workers sleep in their cars or in seasonal shacks. For weeding they get paid by the hour. For harvesting things like oranges or grapes, they get paid by the pound with paper tickets then they trade those tickets for cash at the end of the shift.

[merrily]

35. Where is a Chavez anymore?

People worry about lack of empathy. Having your heart break for someone you never met and can't help hurts so damned much. I wish I could give some of mind to someone who needs some.

PS I was buying Nature's Promise.

[hobbit709]

13. I don't buy bagged salds to start with and migrant workers have been screwed for years.

[Surya Gayatri]

16. I prefer not to, but sometimes it IS a time saver.

And, yes, migrant workers have been screwed for decades, read centuries.

But, this newest scandal has just broken on British TV. It names and shames the growers, wholesalers, and retailers who claim that their practices are 'humane'.

[Quantess]

14. And as soon as it sits on the shelf too long, the grocery store throws it out.

People should see what groocery stores throw away!
Fresh looking bags of salad flown in from thousands of miles away get thrown in the compactor, destroyed. Tons, every single day.

[Surya Gayatri]

15. Egregious, flagrant waste. Agree.

[Quantess]

18. It really is all about capitalism.

Capitalism results in exploitation and waste. Exploit everything you can, throw it away if doesn't look nice enough to get full price for it, etc.

I am not completely against capitalism, but, I wish there were more laws regulating exploitation of workers and animals and the environment, and more incentives to donate leftovers to food banks.

[Surya Gayatri]

20. ^^^AMEN to this^^^

'I wish there were more laws regulating exploitation of workers and animals and the environment...'

[handmade34]

32. "Capitalism results in exploitation and waste"

yes, but unlike you, I AM "against capitalism" because it "results in exploitation and waste" of the environment, of human energy, of human rights, of our health, of our land, etc,.........

[onecent]

17. I HAVE NEVER been able to eat this crap

since it popped out in the stores...then when restaurants went to this crap, I would refuse the salads when they came to my table OBVIOUSLY bagged shit. Got alot of hateful looks from the waitresses..but people are lazy. When I pay for a salad at a restaurant I expect someone to clean, dice, slice and prepare not pour from a filthy bag.

Kick this up people need to be made aware of this.

[Surya Gayatri]

19. Whether chopped up and bagged or sold whole, the labor

practices are sadly the same.

You are almost as likely to get a case of salmonella from your whole head of romaine lettuce as from the bagged stuff.

They have to shit in the fields, for god's sake!

[Omaha Steve]

21. Thanks for posting!

K&R!

[Surya Gayatri]

22. You got it, Steve my friend! I was hoping you'd happen on this.

[Omaha Steve]

23. Send me a PM anytime about a post

[Surya Gayatri]

24. Will do, now that you've given me 'permission'.

Otherwise, I don't like to bother people.

[Enthusiast]

25. Kicked and recommended a whole bunch!

[Surya Gayatri]

26. This is medieval. Crapping in the fields where they stand?

Thanks for the rec.!

[gollygee]

27. Food co-ops, farmer's markets - LOCAL FOOD

salad greens are even grown indoors here in Michigan- I can get local salad greens made by family farms year-round.

[Surya Gayatri]

29. Unfortunately, farmer's markets are not springing up

on every street corner here in Paris.

I have to get my green stuff at the local supermarket, which is supplied from Spain (and Italy).

Not everybody lives in temperate zones where food co-ops and farmer's markets are feasible.

[gollygee]

33. Did you see that I live in Michigan

Greens are often grown in greenhouses. Even here in Michigan when it's -17F we can get local salad greens. I don't know if you can get them where you are but they are often available in cold places even in the winter. I do most of my shopping at a local food co-op.

[Surya Gayatri]

34. Unfortunately, co-ops are few and far between here, and are prohibitively expensive...

If I wanted to do my grocery shopping at one, I'd have to go all the way across Paris.

[merrily]

36. Boston has farmer's markets from May to November.

And, as you know, there is the possibility of an indoor market.

If there are none, given how the French love fresh food, the first markets are likely to do very well financially.

[Surya Gayatri]

38. There seems to be something political going on.

The traditional 'street markets' sell 'fresh produce', but you can never be sure of the 'provenance'. Who actually picked the stuff?

And the 'BIO' (organic) stalls are just too costly for my budget.

[greymattermom]

30. If a brand bought only from farms that treated their workers well

and advertised it, I would buy it. I'd pay more. Locals can easily verify things with cell phone cameras, so it's easy to check up on them. It would be the costco of salad. Thinking of that, does costco buy salad from suppliers like this?

[Surya Gayatri]

31. You and many of us, greymattermom. Just like I buy

only free-range eggs now.

I live in France, so I can't tell you anything about Costco, I'm afraid.

[woodsprite]

37. We've taken to growing our own salad greens and herbs hydroponically in our basement.

We have 3 tiers on our stand, taking up 2' x 4' of floor space. So far, it's been enough for a family of 4, rotating harvest so we have daily greens available. Kinda cool!

[Surya Gayatri]

39. I rent a 50² meter (150 ft.~) flat on the 4th floor! LOL!

'Pas evident', as the French say.