Dennis Olson, United Food and Commercial Workers Union discusses the power of labor unions in protecting working health and safety; collective action to shift markets towards sustainability; and, fair food labels.

Did you know that labor union contracts help protect slaughterhouse workers’ health and safety? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dennis Olson, Senior Research Associate and Policy Analyst for the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union. Olson describes how labor unions in poultry slaughterhouses help uphold safer line speeds. He also describes the Center for Good Food Purchasing (https://goodfoodpurchasing.org/) which uses collective buying power to drive market shifts towards fair labor practices, local economies, environmental sustainability, sound nutrition and animal welfare. Finally, Olson discusses the demise of Country of Origin Labeling and the loopholes of the “Product of USA” label. If you support fair meat labeling, a comment period on Product of USA labels is open until August 17, 2018. Learn more through the Organization for Competitive Markets ( https://competitivemarkets.com) and American Grassfed Association (https://www.americangrassfed.org/news/ ); comment here: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=FSIS-2018-0024 Related website: www.ufcw.org