Food Chained, Human Trafficking – Anne Ross

There have been major, well-documented problems with child labor overseas in production of various food imports. These foods make their way into the US market–another reason consumers want to know who produced their food. Anne Ross with Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services emphasizes that it isn\’t fair for ethical farmers to have to compete with those who are using forced labor for profit. It\’s even worse that these practices are a direct impact on the liberty of people in addition to the devastating impact on the livelihoods of all the ethical farmers. People often confuse \”human trafficking\” with \”human smuggling.\” but trafficking happens even when no borders are crossed. Unscrupulous recruiters have lured workers with false promises, only to coerce them to work by withholding immigration documents, threatening deportation, withholding pay, or creating a debt that can never be repaid by any amount of work.  Consumers can engage in market place activism by knowing their farmer and knowing how to find information about supply chains. There are resources consumers can use to find out more about where their food came from.