“Food Chains” Exposes Farmworker Struggle for Justice

There’s more interest in food these days than ever, but what about the hands that pick it? “Food Chains” reveals the ongoing struggle for justice in our nation’s fields. In this documentary – which opens in DC on Friday -- an intrepid group of Florida farmworkers battle to defeat the $4 trillion global supermarket industry through their ingenious Fair Food program, which partners with growers and retailers to improve working conditions for farm laborers in the United States…

The film will screen twice-daily at the West End Cinema for one week only. This dramatic expose shows that farmworkers, the foundation of America’s fresh food industry, are routinely abused and robbed of wages. In extreme cases they can be beaten, sexually harassed or even enslaved – all within the borders of the United States. Food Chains reveals the human cost in our food supply and the complicity of large buyers of produce like fast food and supermarkets. The film focuses on an intrepid and highly lauded group of tomato pickers from Southern Florida – the Coalition of Immokalee Workers – who are revolutionizing farm labor; CIW members will be on hand after most screenings to jumpstart dialogue about their story of hope and promise for the triumph of morality over corporate greed – to ensure a dignified life for farm workers and a more humane, transparent food chain.