When President-elect Biden takes office next week, his fledgling team must begin to right a mountain of wrongs as the pandemic continues to rage. Read more >
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Long Overdue COVID Worker Protections Would Still Save Hundreds of Lives
Sarah Reinhardt, Food Systems & Health Analyst
January 15, 2021 11:57 AM EDT
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4 Ways Tyson Foods Made 2020 Worse
Karen Perry Stillerman, senior analyst, Food and Environment
December 21, 2020 2:40 PM EDT
As you celebrate the season (safely, please!), consider the source of the protein on your plate and its costs beyond the checkout stand. Because the handful of multinational conglomerates that produce and process industrial pork, beef, and chicken in this country are profiting at the expense of workers, farmers, consumers, and the planet. And in an industry full of terrible actors this terrible year, Tyson is perhaps the most terrible. Read more >
With Trump Executive Order, Are Meat and Poultry Plants a COVID-19 Ticking Time Bomb?
Rebecca Boehm, Economist
May 20, 2020 3:47 PM EDT
On April 28, President Trump issued an executive order intended to direct slaughterhouses and meat and poultry processing plants to remain open as critical infrastructure. The order noted that these facilities should follow CDC guidelines to protect workers from COVID-19. However, the guidelines in the order were described as voluntary, and no enforcement mechanism yet exists to ensure that these measures are being taken. Conditions right now are so bad that the AFL-CIO, which represents the nation’s largest labor unions, announced Monday that it is suing the US Occupational Health and Safety Administration for not protecting American workers from COVID-19. We wanted to know how much worse this situation might get. Read more >
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As COVID-19 Reveals Our Food System’s Flaws, Congress Can Boost Protection Now—and Resilience for the Future
Karen Perry Stillerman, senior analyst, Food and Environment
April 22, 2020 5:57 PM EDT
If we didn’t know it before—or had forgotten—the escalating pandemic and its widening economic ripple effects are hammering home the reality that our world is full of risk and uncertainty. Preparedness is paramount. Resilience is essential. And apart from the nation’s healthcare system, nowhere is this more apparent right now than when it comes to keeping ourselves fed, as food producers, workers, and consumers alike face mounting threats to their health and well-being.
Because the system wasn’t designed to protect them.
