Latest news with #foodsupply
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
How Trump's anti-immigrant policies could collapse the US food industry
The Trump administration's assault on immigrants is starting to hit the American food supply. In Texas, farmers who have for years depended on undocumented people for cheap labor – to plant, harvest and haul produce – have reported that workers are staying home to avoid raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). In Los Angeles, restaurants and food trucks have been forced to close as the immigrants who cook and wait tables fear Ice and other law enforcement. 'Farm workers in many states are thinking about leaving the country because they are facing more obstacles to work under this anti-immigrant administration,' said Elizabeth Rodriguez, director of farm worker advocacy with National Farm Worker Ministry, a longstanding organization in south Texas. 'They are scared, there are fewer opportunities, and they are no longer prospering here. Their fear will soon be seen in the harvest, when the quantities of produce are depleted.' From farm to table, at least one in five jobs in the food industry is carried out by immigrants, the equivalent of 14 million workers across the sector. This includes 27% of agricultural workers nationwide and 33% of meatpackers. In restaurants, 46% of chefs and 31% of cooks were born outside the US – mostly in Mexico, China, Guatemala and El Salvador. These jobs are critical: immigrants made up a disproportionate number of 'essential' workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, and many were exposed to unsafe conditions so that crops could be harvested, cows milked and takeout delivered. 'Whether it's the workers behind the scenes in meatpacking plants or on the frontlines of the grocery store, our country relies heavily on the labor of immigrants to keep our food system running and our families fed,' said Mark Lauritsen, international vice-president at United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. 'Without a stable, skilled workforce, safety and quality can decline, shelves can sit empty and grocery prices could rise even more.' Yet food industry jobs, from fields to slaughterhouses and supermarkets to delivery drivers, are notoriously difficult and often low-paid: sometimes as little as $7.25 per hour, the federal minimum wage. Farmhands are often paid only a few dollars per box of tomatoes or cabbages harvested - backbreaking work with no shade. American food companies rely on undocumented people for almost half of the most physical jobs, including the farm laborers who cultivate crops, tend livestock and build fences, as well as the meat processors who slaughter, eviscerate and package at high speeds. Most Americans understand this. In the run-up to last year's election, 75% of registered voters told Pew Research that they believed undocumented immigrants mostly fill jobs US citizens don't want to do. And now, with Ice raids and mass deportations, these jobs have become even more dangerous. At least one farm worker, Jaime Alanís, a 57-year-old Mexican man, has died after falling from a greenhouse trying to escape armed Ice agents during a raid in southern California last week. In response to these terrifying Ice raids which are spreading and becoming more violent, some farm workers in California are planning a strike in coming weeks and will be calling on consumers to boycott produce. 'It is appalling to see the threat of violence and deportation that immigrant workers face every day. These people play a crucial role in restaurants, and more importantly in the community,' said Elyanna Calle, a restaurant worker in Austin, Texas, and president of Restaurant Workers United. 'A raid, a deportation means the destruction of a life someone has fought to build; it means the destruction of families and vibrant communities. I have seen my co-workers fear for their safety, I have seen them go into fight or flight mode at the prospect of an Ice raid – this is not something that any person, any immigrant deserves.' If the Trump administration oversees even a fraction of its promised mass deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants, it could lead to major disruptions across the food system: crops left to spoil in the fields, supermarket shelves unstocked, takeout deliveries delayed and food prices soaring even higher. It could also upend rural economies that depend on migrant workers and their families who live, work and go to school in small declining communities. 'All of this will have a huge impact on the rest of us because the immigrant community contributes much more than their labor; they pay taxes,' said Rodriguez. 'They invest in the economy, and if they make less money, we all make less, and when corporations make less, they increase prices so we lose again.' Data for this piece, unless otherwise noted, come from the Migration Policy Institute
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Vietnam warns of food supply disruptions as African swine fever spreads
HANOI (Reuters) -African swine fever outbreaks are spreading in Vietnam, threatening to disrupt food supplies in the Southeast Asian country, the government warned on Friday. Vietnam has this year detected 514 outbreaks in 28 out of 34 cities and provinces nationwide, the government said in a statement, adding that the authorities have culled more than 30,000 infected pigs. "The risk of African swine fever is on a rising trend, negatively affecting the pig farming industry, food supplies and the environment," the government said. African swine fever has disrupted the global pork market for years. In the worst outbreak over 2018-19, about half the domestic pig population died in China, the world's biggest producer, causing losses estimated at over $100 billion. The recent outbreaks in Vietnam have prompted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to send an urgent directive to provinces and government agencies this week to deploy measures to curb the disease. Vietnam in 2023 approved the domestic commercial use of its first home-grown African swine fever vaccines, but officials said the rate of vaccinated pigs remains low. "Only around 30% of the pigs in my province have been vaccinated," said an animal health official of Quang Ngai province, where infections have been reported over the past few weeks. "It's not clear why the rate is low - it could either be the issue of vaccine availability, efficiency or cost," said another provincial official, who declined to be named as the person is not authorised to speak to the media. The agriculture ministry's Department of Animal Health didn't respond to Reuters' request for comment. Calls to AVAC Vietnam JSC, the country's main African swine fever vaccine producer, went unanswered. AVAC said last month it had sold 3 million vaccine doses in the domestic market and exported 600,000 doses to the Philippines and Indonesia.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Health
- Reuters
Vietnam warns of food supply disruptions as African swine fever spreads
HANOI, July 18 (Reuters) - African swine fever outbreaks are spreading in Vietnam, threatening to disrupt food supplies in the Southeast Asian country, the government warned on Friday. Vietnam has this year detected 514 outbreaks in 28 out of 34 cities and provinces nationwide, the government said in a statement, adding that the authorities have culled more than 30,000 infected pigs. "The risk of African swine fever is on a rising trend, negatively affecting the pig farming industry, food supplies and the environment," the government said. African swine fever has disrupted the global pork market for years. In the worst outbreak over 2018-19, about half the domestic pig population died in China, the world's biggest producer, causing losses estimated at over $100 billion. The recent outbreaks in Vietnam have prompted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to send an urgent directive to provinces and government agencies this week to deploy measures to curb the disease. Vietnam in 2023 approved the domestic commercial use of its first home-grown African swine fever vaccines, but officials said the rate of vaccinated pigs remains low. "Only around 30% of the pigs in my province have been vaccinated," said an animal health official of Quang Ngai province, where infections have been reported over the past few weeks. "It's not clear why the rate is low - it could either be the issue of vaccine availability, efficiency or cost," said another provincial official, who declined to be named as the person is not authorised to speak to the media. The agriculture ministry's Department of Animal Health didn't respond to Reuters' request for comment. Calls to AVAC Vietnam JSC, the country's main African swine fever vaccine producer, went unanswered. AVAC said last month it had sold 3 million vaccine doses in the domestic market and exported 600,000 doses to the Philippines and Indonesia.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
How Trump's anti-immigrant policies could collapse the US food industry
The Trump administration's assault on immigrants is starting to hit the American food supply. In Texas, farmers who have for years depended on undocumented people for cheap labor – to plant, harvest and haul produce – have reported that workers are staying home to avoid raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). In Los Angeles, restaurants and food trucks have been forced to close as the immigrants who cook and wait tables fear Ice and other law enforcement. 'Farm workers in many states are thinking about leaving the country because they are facing more obstacles to work under this anti-immigrant administration,' said Elizabeth Rodriguez, director of farm worker advocacy with National Farm Worker Ministry, a longstanding organization in south Texas. 'They are scared, there are fewer opportunities, and they are no longer prospering here. Their fear will soon be seen in the harvest, when the quantities of produce are depleted.' From farm to table, at least one in five jobs in the food industry is carried out by immigrants, the equivalent of 14 million workers across the sector. This includes 27% of agricultural workers nationwide and 33% of meatpackers. In restaurants, 46% of chefs and 31% of cooks were born outside the US – mostly in Mexico, China, Guatemala and El Salvador. These jobs are critical: immigrants made up a disproportionate number of 'essential' workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, and many were exposed to unsafe conditions so that crops could be harvested, cows milked and takeout delivered. 'Whether it's the workers behind the scenes in meatpacking plants or on the frontlines of the grocery store, our country relies heavily on the labor of immigrants to keep our food system running and our families fed,' said Mark Lauritsen, international vice-president at United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. 'Without a stable, skilled workforce, safety and quality can decline, shelves can sit empty and grocery prices could rise even more.' Yet food industry jobs, from fields to slaughterhouses and supermarkets to delivery drivers, are notoriously difficult and often low-paid: sometimes as little as $7.25 per hour, the federal minimum wage. Farmhands are often paid only a few dollars per box of tomatoes or cabbages harvested - backbreaking work with no shade. American food companies rely on undocumented people for almost half of the most physical jobs, including the farm laborers who cultivate crops, tend livestock and build fences, as well as the meat processors who slaughter, eviscerate and package at high speeds. Most Americans understand this. In the run-up to last year's election, 75% of registered voters told Pew Research that they believed undocumented immigrants mostly fill jobs US citizens don't want to do. And now, with Ice raids and mass deportations, these jobs have become even more dangerous. At least one farm worker, Jaime Alanís, a 57-year-old Mexican man, has died after falling from a greenhouse trying to escape armed Ice agents during a raid in southern California last week. In response to these terrifying Ice raids which are spreading and becoming more violent, some farm workers in California are planning a strike in coming weeks and will be calling on consumers to boycott produce. 'It is appalling to see the threat of violence and deportation that immigrant workers face every day. These people play a crucial role in restaurants, and more importantly in the community,' said Elyanna Calle, a restaurant worker in Austin, Texas, and president of Restaurant Workers United. 'A raid, a deportation means the destruction of a life someone has fought to build; it means the destruction of families and vibrant communities. I have seen my co-workers fear for their safety, I have seen them go into fight or flight mode at the prospect of an Ice raid – this is not something that any person, any immigrant deserves.' If the Trump administration oversees even a fraction of its promised mass deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants, it could lead to major disruptions across the food system: crops left to spoil in the fields, supermarket shelves unstocked, takeout deliveries delayed and food prices soaring even higher. It could also upend rural economies that depend on migrant workers and their families who live, work and go to school in small declining communities. 'All of this will have a huge impact on the rest of us because the immigrant community contributes much more than their labor; they pay taxes,' said Rodriguez. 'They invest in the economy, and if they make less money, we all make less, and when corporations make less, they increase prices so we lose again.' Data for this piece, unless otherwise noted, come from the Migration Policy Institute
Free Malaysia Today
15-07-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Russian court hands US-owned food company's assets to the state
Since being placed under Russian state management, Glavprodukt's sales have dropped sharply. (The Moscow Times) MOSCOW : A Moscow court has ruled that the assets of US-owned canned food company Glavprodukt be handed over to the Russian state, the TASS news agency reported late on Friday, following a months-long legal tussle over the company. One participant in the court proceedings, who declined to be named, confirmed to Reuters yesterday that the court had satisfied the prosecution's claim in full with immediate effect after a six-hour court session. The seizure of Glavprodukt, the only US company Moscow has seized, coincides with stalled attempts to reset US-Russian relations. Glavprodukt and other assets ultimately owned by US company Universal Beverage and founder Leonid Smirnov were placed under temporary state management by presidential decree in October 2024. Prosecutors subsequently sought to justify the seizure by arguing the measure was necessary to ensure a stable food supply in Russia, according to a letter seen by Reuters in April. 'The court ruled that the general prosecutor's case on the seizure of Glavprodukt assets and property of its head Smirnov in favour of the state be satisfied in full,' TASS quoted the court as saying. 'The decision comes into force immediately'. Court filings showed Universal Beverage had applied for a postponement of proceedings, but no ruling was specified. The court did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'The decision made violates the law of Russia. 'Steps will be taken, and some have already been taken, to protect our interests, not only in Russian courts but also in American courts as well as international courts,' Smirnov told Reuters. 'Our efforts in Washington definitely will be accelerated,' he added. Smirnov said he plans to appeal the decision in Russian courts. He has already begun legal proceedings in the US state of Arkansas, where Alexander Tkachev has business interests. Tkachev is a former agriculture minister and the ultimate owner of Druzhba Narodov, the company which requested the Kremlin appoint new management at Glavprodukt, Reuters reported in April. Since being placed under state management, Glavprodukt's sales have dropped sharply, and it has posted regular monthly losses, according to documents seen by Reuters last week. The new management team plans to boost dwindling sales with exports to China and North Korea, according to documents reviewed by Reuters and people familiar with the matter.
