Of course, foie gras isn’t the only thing getting activists worked up. Grist has an interesting piece about the irony of Chipotle sponsoring screenings of Food, Inc. when director Robert Kenner and co-producer Eric Schlosser had previously signed a letter criticizing the chain’s stance on farmworker rights. At issue: The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, an organization working to improve poor wages and conditions (including alleged human trafficking) among Florida tomato-farm workers, wants Chipotle to sign an agreement with them that will give workers an extra penny per pound for their tomatoes. Chipotle says it has indeed started putting money into an escrow account that will eventually go to farmers who can be trusted to distribute it to their workers, but Kenner, Schlosser, and the CIW still wonder why the chain won’t just do what Taco Bell, Subway, Burger King, and McDonald’s have done, and sign a commitment letter with them. What do you think — is it enough that Chipotle has vowed to improve wages on their own, or do they have to work hand-in-hand with the farmer-led organization in order to earn their merit badge?
Burrito chain’s Food, Inc. sponsorship generates off-screen drama over farm-worker issues [Grist]
