Food and Farm Labor

LOUISVILLE, KY - JANUARY 11: Pam Howard, a school food service assistant, prepares lunches for curbside pickup during a period of Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) at Hazelwood Elementary School on January 11, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. Jefferson County Public Schools, along with many other school districts in the US, have switched to NTI in response to severe staffing shortages caused by the prevalence of the omicron variant of COVID-19. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

The Field Report: Are Expiring School Meal Waivers a Looming Catastrophe?

By Lisa Held

June 15, 2022

Without Congressional action, the pandemic-era waivers will expire on June 30.

Op-ed: I’m a Fast Food Worker. Here’s Why I’m Striking for Industrywide Reform

By Maria Bernal

June 9, 2022

California’s Sheepherders at the Center of an Overtime Battle

By Caroline Tracey

June 8, 2022

Delio Mantari Pastrana helps to herd a flock of sheep to a field near the U.S.-Mexico border to graze on alfalfa near El Centro, California. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Inside the Effort to Unionize Square Roots, Kimbal Musk’s Vertical Farming Company

By Lucy dean stockton

June 1, 2022

a square roots worker packs basil inside the vertical farm company's facility in Brooklyn in 2018. (Photo by Preston Keres, USDA)

Seaboard Meatpacking Plant Must Address Workers’ Repetitive Motion Injuries

By Madison McVan, Investigate Midwest

May 23, 2022

meatpacking plant worker lifting a heavy piece of meat onto the cutting surface in a meatpacking plant

NYC Street Food Vendors: ‘We’re Not Hurting Anyone’

By Max Rivlin-Nadler, Hell Gate

May 13, 2022

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 07: People gather for a rally held in support of street vendors targeted by NYPD in Hudson Yards in Manhattan on May 07, 2021 in New York City. Various organizations and elected officials along with street vendors gathered to speak about the alleged targeting of street vendors by NYPD, who Mayor Bill de Blasio had announced would no longer oversee street vendor enforcement. In January, City Council passed Intro 1116, a bill that lifted the permit cap for street vendors by 4,000 permits for the first time since the 1980s. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Oregon Adopts Nation’s Strongest Farmworker Protections for Heat and Wildfire Smoke

By Lynne Terry, Oregon Capital Chronicle

May 12, 2022

Farmworkers in the field in high heat and wildfire smoke

Jorts the Cat Wants You to Care About Farmworkers’ Rights

By Twilight Greenaway

May 6, 2022

Jorts holds the new zine created by Jean.

The Next Frontier of Labor Organizing: Food-Delivery Workers

By Lisa Held

May 4, 2022

Uber Eats app delivery gig worker photo Photo by Sargis Chilingaryan on Unsplash.

$1,000 a Month for Farmworkers? Proposed Payments Aim to Help Amid Drought

By Melissa Montalvo, CalMatters

April 29, 2022

MESA, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Agricultural laborers pick lemons inside the orchards of Samag Services, Inc, where they grow Avocado, Lemons and Oranges. The bottom has fallen out of the Avocado market as restaurants close during this period of the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic. Agricultural workers have become essential workers in the race to maintain Americas food supply while simultaneously staying healthy. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images.)

On the Rural Immigrant Experience: ‘We Come With a Culture, Our Own History, and We’re Here to Help’

By Naomi Starkman

April 14, 2022

‘Slaves for Peanuts’ Tells the Tragic Story Behind America’s Favorite Snack

By Gosia Wozniacka

April 12, 2022

jori lewis and the cover of her book, slaves for peanuts

What Will the Rise of Giant Indoor Farms Mean for Appalachian Kentucky?

By Twilight Greenaway

April 6, 2022

An Appharvest employee harvesting tomatoes in Morehead, Kentucky. (Photo courtesy of Appharvest)

The Fight for L.A.’s Street Food Vendors

By Zoie Matthew

March 28, 2022

A girl walks with street food vendors calling for legalization of their trade during a march on May Day, on May 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. David McNew/Getty Images)

‘Food Companies Didn’t Get the Memo’—Steven Greenhouse on the Unionization Wave

By Naomi Starkman

March 24, 2022

GLENDALE, CO - JANUARY 12: King Soopers grocery store workers wave signs as they strike at more than 70 stores across the Denver metro area on January 12, 2022 in Glendale, Colorado. About 7000 workers at the Kroger-owned grocery chain are set to strike for three weeks on claims of unfair labor practices. (Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

What a Surge in Union Organizing Means for Food and Farm Workers

By Lisa Held

March 17, 2022

New union members at Pindar Vineyards in Peconic, New York. (Photo courtesy of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW)

Op-ed: One Year In, Where Vilsack’s USDA Stands on 10 Key Measures

By Ricardo Salvador

February 21, 2022

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack speaks during a daily press briefing at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House May 5, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Long Excluded from Overtime Pay, Oregon Farmworkers Make Their Case

By Lynne Terry, Oregon Capital Chronicle

February 11, 2022

Farmworkers harvesting watermelons at Bellinger Farms in Hermiston, Oregon. (Photo by Andrea Johnson for the Oregon Department of Agriculture)

Indigenous Farmworkers Are Unheard, Overlooked, and Exposed

By Abraham Marquez and Zaydee Sanchez, NACLA

February 3, 2022

Early in the morning, Silvia Garcia develops a rhythm to quickly and most efficiently pick each grape branch before temperatures reach the high 90s. (Photo credit: Zaydee Sanchez)

The Field Report: PFAS Are Contaminating the Food Supply

By Lisa Held

February 2, 2022

A farm tractor loads solid sewage sludge for distributing in the field. (Photo CC-licensed by the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance on Flickr)

The Field Report: Ranking Chain Restaurants on Animal Welfare

By Lisa Held

January 26, 2022

SAN RAFAEL, CA - OCTOBER 01: Nutritional information is printed on the wrapper of a McDonald's Egg McMuffin October 1, 2008 in San Rafael, California. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Tuesday that makes California the first state in the U.S. to require chain restaurants to reveal calorie information on standard menu items. The law goes into effect in July 2009. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Many Restaurants Pay Tipped Workers Next to Nothing. Does that Violate their Civil Rights?

By Greta Moran

January 20, 2022

Female restaurant worker with her back to us with three pizzas in her hands on the restaurant terrace

Op-ed: Indian Farmers Won Their Revolution, but the Fight’s Not Over

By Indra Shekhar Singh

January 19, 2022

Indian farmers shout anti-government slogans during a protest against new farm laws in December 2020. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)

Farmworkers Bear the Brunt of California’s Housing Crisis

By Gosia Wozniacka

January 18, 2022

Taking Stock And Looking Forward: Food Justice

By The Civil Eats Editors

December 27, 2021

low angle view of african american man with scarf on face holding placard with racism is a pandemic lettering against blue sky

Food and Farm Labor

The Field Report: Are Expiring School Meal Waivers a Looming Catastrophe?

Op-ed: I’m a Fast Food Worker. Here’s Why I’m Striking for Industrywide Reform

California’s Sheepherders at the Center of an Overtime Battle

Inside the Effort to Unionize Square Roots, Kimbal Musk’s Vertical Farming Company

Seaboard Meatpacking Plant Must Address Workers’ Repetitive Motion Injuries

Today’s food system is complex.

NYC Street Food Vendors: ‘We’re Not Hurting Anyone’

Oregon Adopts Nation’s Strongest Farmworker Protections for Heat and Wildfire Smoke

Jorts the Cat Wants You to Care About Farmworkers’ Rights

The Next Frontier of Labor Organizing: Food-Delivery Workers

$1,000 a Month for Farmworkers? Proposed Payments Aim to Help Amid Drought

On the Rural Immigrant Experience: ‘We Come With a Culture, Our Own History, and We’re Here to Help’

‘Slaves for Peanuts’ Tells the Tragic Story Behind America’s Favorite Snack

What Will the Rise of Giant Indoor Farms Mean for Appalachian Kentucky?

The Fight for L.A.’s Street Food Vendors

‘Food Companies Didn’t Get the Memo’—Steven Greenhouse on the Unionization Wave

Thank you for being a loyal reader.

What a Surge in Union Organizing Means for Food and Farm Workers

Op-ed: One Year In, Where Vilsack’s USDA Stands on 10 Key Measures

Long Excluded from Overtime Pay, Oregon Farmworkers Make Their Case

Indigenous Farmworkers Are Unheard, Overlooked, and Exposed

The Field Report: PFAS Are Contaminating the Food Supply

The Field Report: Ranking Chain Restaurants on Animal Welfare

Many Restaurants Pay Tipped Workers Next to Nothing. Does that Violate their Civil Rights?

Op-ed: Indian Farmers Won Their Revolution, but the Fight’s Not Over

Farmworkers Bear the Brunt of California’s Housing Crisis

Taking Stock And Looking Forward: Food Justice