Kairo’s Essay

Erik Loomis article on the labor abuses behind what we eat looks at how the food industry operates in a globalized economy. Food industries strive to maximize their profits at whatever costs. The food companies thus violate labor laws by putting employee through inhumane working conditions. Loomis highlights the case of Smithfield food processing, a company that focuses on hiring illegal Mexican immigrants so as to minimize their wage costs. The management at the company knew that they have the upper hand over the illegal immigrants as they were undocumented. When the immigrants attempted to form a union, the management at Smithfield chose to report itself for having illegal employees thus resulting in the arrest and deportation of the illegal immigrants. The food companies also give little regard to the conservation of the environment as they dump waste material without a care of the negative effect it may have on the environment. Smithfield buried dead pigs in unlined pits which resulted in the contamination of the area’s water supply. According to Loomis "distance and concealment operate as mechanisms of power in modern society." Behind the food that the public purchases in the markets, there is a story that is unknown to many. Employees are exploited and underpaid while the animals are tortured before they are butchered.

The article is quite timely and noteworthy as it is a call for the public to look beyond the well-packaged foods that they purchase in the food stores and supermarkets. Loomis argues that "public knowledge of working conditions and animal’s treatment is the food industry’s worst nightmare" in reality that is what is needed so as to improve the operations of the processing plants. A majority of the public has never entered a process plant or a slaughterhouse and witnessed the labor violations and inhumane animal treatment activities that go on. Kenner (2011), in his "Food Inc" film highlights the dire situation involving the torturing of animals so as to deliver meat to the consumers. Kenner shows how animals are overcrowded infeed slots and confinement facilities. It is evident that the slaughterhouses are focused on maximizing their profits. Throughout the film, living animals are slaughtered and turned into commodities without a care in the world. Animals such as chicken are also given antibiotics so as to hasten their growth, and the consumer can purchase a "healthy" and full breasted chicken. The film is a call for stricter regulations for the processing and slaughtering of commodities. The desire for profits cannot surpass the need for ethical business practices. There is a need for random inspection of the production facilities and hefty fines and punishment for production facilities that violate the production process.

The article is also noteworthy as it highlights the issue of abuse of labor. It is easy to assume that the problem of abuse of labor no longer exists in the 21st century. The production facilities as demonstrated by Loomis article present a different scenario. The issue of workers unions and the joining of unions should not be manipulated. However, production managers have found a way to maneuver the need for unionized workers. Illegal immigrants are desperate for a source of income thus the production facilities hire them and put them through inhumane working conditions. The immigrants have no voice as they do not want to expose themselves to immigration officers. Gray (2014) presents similar sentiments by demonstrating the extent to which America’s value for profits has resulted to the concealment of the labor violations faced by the workforce.

Smithfield’s preference for Mexican employees is further explained by Gray (2014) who indicates that the ethnic shift from Black workers to Latino workers was triggered by the fact that most Latino workers were undocumented and unattached to any unions compared to the Black workers. The Latinos became the preferred workers as they came cheap and easy to manipulate. The production facilities thus maximize profits and continue to get rich while the poor continue to wallow in poverty. Similar, sentiments are provided by Schlosser (2001) who indicates "fast food has widened the chasm between the rich and the poor." The food industry has also fostered imperialism as production companies demonstrate immense power even over existing laws. It is obvious that the production companies are ignoring the existing labor and food production laws and the innocent consumer has been veiled from the violations. It is time that the food production industry becomes an open and public entity rather that the private entities that operate behind "closed doors." The articles are a call for the government to take charge and regulate the food industry. Production companies that hire illegal immigrants must be penalized. Moreover, production companies that violate hygiene standards, nutritional standards and engage in the inhumane treatment of animals must be held accountable. Food is critical for the survival of humankind thus food production cannot be halted. There is a need, therefore, for close monitoring of food production operations to ensure that environmental, labor and animal handling standards are maintained.

References

Gray, M. (2014). Labor and the Locavore: The Making of a Comprehensive Food Ethic. University of California Press.

Kenner Robert, (2011). Food Inc.

Loomis, E. (2015). Out of Sight: The Labor Abuses Behind What We Eat.

Schlosser E. 2001. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.

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