The People Providing Us Food are Underpaid

“Jobs in the food system aren’t seen as high skilled,” says Joann Lo, Executive Director of the Food Chain Workers Alliance. “It’s hard work; you need to know the right way to cut a chicken in a poultry plant. But the general perception is that they are low skilled and don’t deserve good wages.”

A new report from the Food Chain Workers Alliance shows that just 13.5 percent of workers in the food industry are paid a living wage. Though the number is sad, it shows that it’s still totally possible to pay these workers a living wage. Those places include: “Featherstone Farm, an organic Minnesota farm that pays all laborers hourly and provides housing for temporary workers, Los Angeles’ Good Girl Dinette, a diner paying fair wages while serving locally sourced food, and Yale’s dining program, which offers retirement benefits for its unionized food workers.”

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