Great news via the Washington Post: Bon Appetit will boycott Florida tomatoes unless growers treat (and pay) the workers better. Here's the money quote:
The growers "can do the right thing, and our five million pounds of business can go to them," said Fedele Bauccio, Bon Appetit's chief executive. "Or they can let the tomatoes rot in the fields."
I've long been in awe of the excellent, continued campaign run by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the group representing the workers in Florida's tomato fields who have strong-armed several fast food chains into paying the workers an extra penny per pound of tomatoes. I honestly cannot even imagine the hell those workers live through every single day of their lives. My friend Jim Goodman joined a delegation that visited Immokalee earlier this year and he posted his comments along with some photos here. The trip REALLY affected him, which makes me think that as serious as I take this issue, I STILL underestimate the severity of the workers' situation.
Congrats to Bon Appetit for their strong moral stance and to the Immokalee workers for their victory. And shame on any company that does not do the same. |
