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In light of the visceral images of police brutality and murder that have sparked public outrage in recent weeks, I cannot help but think about the less visible systems of oppression and violence our government maintains everyday through their subsidizing of our current food systems. I think about the farm workers in Immokalee FL who have had to call in Doctors Without Borders in order to test and treat coronavirus in lieu of protection from both their employer and their government^. I think about our meat processing plants and the workers who have not only been forced to continue working despite coronavirus outbreaks at many major plants, but who have actually been forced to stand closer together as the USDA refused to retract waivers for increased line speed during the outbreak^^. I think about the communities who continue to lack access to fresh produce, land, and resources to grow their own food and the chronic diseases that plague them as a result^^^.
These injustices are continually protected and furthered by a government whose interest lies clearly in the exploitation of its citizens for corporate profit. The supposed meat shortages advertised by Tyson Foods that “required” our president to force open processing plants fail to account for the nearly 13% of their products sent overseas*. Walmart is estimated to cost the taxpayer roughly $6.2 billion in public benefits paid to its employees**, and then it turns around and captures $13 billion from SNAP purchasing at its stores***.
These injustices are neither new nor undocumented, yet they have failed to reach public consciousness in a significant enough way to drive structural change. Organizations like Soul Fire Farm, The HEAL Food Alliance, and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers fight these systems everyday, but their work must be paired with a shift in public perception. Each one of us can speak volumes through our voices and our dollars. Choosing to be more informed on the sources of our food is a start; choosing to act on that information is another. I am nowhere near perfect in my habits, but I am on the road forward.
*“Fiscal Year 19 Fact Book”, Tyson Foods, pg 6
**”Walmart on Tax Day”, Americans for Tax Fairness, pg 5
***”Walmart on Tax Day”, Americans for Tax Fairness, pg 5