VERO BEACH — The free, nondenominational Social Justice Film Series continues on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m., with the documentary “Food Chains.” This 2014 exposé reveals the human cost in the food supply and the complicity of large buyers of produce like fast food companies and supermarkets.
There is so much interest in food these days yet there is almost no interest in the hands that pick that food. In the U.S., farm labor has always been one of the most difficult and poorly paid jobs and has relied on some of the nation’s most vulnerable people. These days, the exploitation of farm workers is perpetuated by the corporations at the top of the food chain: supermarkets. Their buying power has kept wages pitifully low and has created a scenario where desperately poor people are willing to put up with anything to keep their jobs.
An intrepid group of Florida farm workers, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) are battling the $4 trillion global supermarket industry with their ingenious Fair Food Program, which partners with growers and retailers to improve working conditions for farm laborers in the United States by raising the price of tomatoes by just one penny per pound.
To date, 12 major retailers have signed on to the Fair Food Program including Walmart, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, McDonalds, the YUM Brands, Chipotle, Burger King, Aramark, Compass Group, Bon Appetit, Sodexo, and Subway. Publix, Kroger, Safeway, and Wendy’s have resisted signing this landmark agreement.
Eva Longoria, well-known actress from Desperate Housewives, and Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, produced the documentary. Film critic David Noh of the Film Journal International said, “Food Chains should literally be seen by every American who unquestioningly lifts fork to mouth for their three squares a day.”
Critics gave the film an 89 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes film evaluation site; audiences gave it a 94 percent approval rating.
There will be a discussion following the film. The community-wide series is free and open to the public at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach. No reservations or tickets are required but donations to cover costs are gratefully accepted. The Fair Trade Corner will be open 30 minutes prior to the 80 minute long film.
The UU Fellowship, offering a liberal religion on the Treasure Coast, has easy parking and is handicap accessible. It is located on the southeast corner of 27th Avenue and 16th Street. For more information, call (772) 778-5880.