~ Globalisation Of Food
~ Migrant labour in the EU
~ European Union
How the clean, bright displays in our supermarkets hide a murkier story of exploitation in the supply chain.
ITALY'S ROTTEN TOMATOES If you buy a tin of tomatoes chances are they come from Southern Italy ¨C picked by migrant labour usually from Africa. They're paid a pittance, have no rights and live in shacks. It looks like a third world scene, but this is in the heart of the EU. The Italian authorities are beginning to act against the gang masters, but the exploitation goes on.
SLAVERY AT SEA Chinese and South Korean trawlers work the coast of East Africa, hiring local labour who work in slave-like conditions. The fish is not supposed to go to the EU but it does, by changing the labels on the boxes! EU officials say they try their best to guarantee the quality and source of the fish ¨C but they are understaffed and admit that the law is frequently flouted.
A BAD CASE OF BANANAS PHP is a French multi-national producing bananas for Europe ¨C they claim their workforce is happy, but the crops are being sprayed with chemicals that have been banned in the EU. Local towns and villages have been affected ¨C some workers have gone blind. What chance of change when the local politicians are working for the company?
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