Most people in the US buy their food in grocery stores with little knowledge of the human and environmental injustices that went into bringing it there or the fights to improve the quality of our food. Today we speak with Maru Mora-Villalpando, who works with Families United for Justice, about a campaign led by farm workers who pick berries in the U.S. and Mexico that is starting to have victories. And then we talk with long-time food advocate Carlos Martinez about Monsanto, the consolidation of Big Ag and the fight for the right to healthy food.
Listen here:
Relevant Article and Websites:
There’s a Lingering Farm Labor Dispute Behind Your Summer Berries by Sarah McColl
No Other Way Than to Struggle: The Farmworker-Led Boycott of Driscoll’s Berries by Felimon Pineda with David Bacon
Sakuma Farmworkers Vote Yes for their Union
Bayer’s Monsanto Acquisition to Face Politically Charged Scrutiny by Diane Bartz and Greg Roumeliotis
Guests:
Maru Mora-Villalpando is a principal with Latino Advocacy. She coordinates communication and is a spokesperson for Families United for Justice (Familias Unidas por la Justicia), which organizes the Driscoll’s Berry Boycott.
Carlos Martinez is a food justice advocate who worked on Prop 37, the first statewide bill to label Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in foods. As a participant of Occupy movements up and down California, he worked to bring food justice issues to the forefront. He works in collaboration with many food activist organizations and is now focusing on one of the ultimate food fights, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the global corporate takeover of our food system.