Food Chains (2014)

There is so much interest in food these days yet there is almost no interest in the hands that pick that food. In the US, farm labor has always been one of the most difficult and poorly ... See full summary »

Director:

Sanjay Rawal

Writers:

Erin Barnett, Sanjay Rawal

Stars:

Eve Ensler, Barry Estabrook, Dolores Huerta

Cast

Credited cast:
Eve Ensler
Barry Estabrook	...	Himself
Dolores Huerta
Robert Kennedy Jr.
Kerry Kennedy
Eva Longoria	...	Herself
Alma Martinez	...	Narrator
Eric Schlosser	...	Himself
Forest Whitaker	...	Narrator

Storyline

There is so much interest in food these days yet there is almost no interest in the hands that pick that food. In the US, farm labor has always been one of the most difficult and poorly paid jobs and has relied on some of the nation's most vulnerable people. While the legal restrictions which kept people bound to farms, like slavery, have been abolished, exploitation still exists, ranging from wage theft to modern-day slavery. These days, this exploitation is perpetuated by the corporations at the top of the food chain: supermarkets. Their buying power has kept wages pitifully low and has created a scenario where desperately poor people are willing to put up with anything to keep their jobs.

---

Plot Keywords:

two word title | 

---

Taglines:

The revolution in America's fields

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fair Food

Box Office

Budget:

$913,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Illumine Group, Two Moons Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Excellent!

There is so much interest in food these days yet there is almost no interest in the hands that pick that food. In the US, farm labor has always been one of the most difficult and poorly paid jobs and has relied on some of the nation's most vulnerable people.

When I was about 14, I had a summer job picking raspberries. As I recall, I was paid about 25 cents per pint, and it took a long time to fill one pint. At best, I was bringing in two dollars an hour. Now, this does not mean I understand what it is like to be a farm worker, but the experience is not completely foreign to me. This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a living wage.

This film looks at one great aspect of the farm worker: his or her role in the "food chain" and how easy it would be to raise his wage without drastically affecting prices. Many other issues surround this, and a well-rounded picture may take another two or three documentaries. For example, immigration seems to be the elephant in the room.