FOOD WORKERS STRUGGLE TO EAT AT ALL

The most under-reported and neglected aspect of the good food movement is the 20 million workers who toil every day—often under inhumane conditions—harvesting fields, killing and cutting up animals, packing boxes, driving trucks, clerks behind the counters, some cooking meals, ringing up orders, serving tables, and cleaning up the mess, Millions of food workers are struggling to eat at all. The word ironic doesn’t even begin to describe the injustice. A shameful 40 percent  of all food workers currently earn the minimum wage. And partly because that wage is set so low, an incredible 10 million food workers (half of the total 20 million) earn below the poverty line for a family of three. Adding to the irony? The feds are picking up the slack with food assistance programs. Food workers participate in food stamps at 1.2 times the rate of others. Also, food workers are more likely receive Medicaid and those lacking health benefits often use emergency rooms for primary care.