The Farmworker Inventory

Detailing the reality faced by the nation’s 1.4 million crop farmworkers

In a unique for-profit/NGO joint venture, the Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation and United Farm Workers of America, with support from Oxfam America, released a groundbreaking report on March 31, César Chávez Day. The Inventory of Farmworker Issues and Protections in the United States compiled and analyzed data from multiple federal, state, and private sources to give the most comprehensive picture yet of the reality faced by America’s least-valued but critically important workforce.

The report was the first of its kind to detail the lack of laws and protections for crop farmworkers in the U.S., and it represented an important step toward addressing the issue of farmworker rights in our business and driving change in the food system. It laid the groundwork for the development of verifiable and enforceable standards for agricultural work that can be supported by both individual consumers and socially responsible corporations.

By releasing this report, we aimed to encourage other companies and consumers to ask, “Who picked this food?” — and ultimately to drive lasting business, regulatory, and policy changes that will afford agricultural workers the same rights and dignity as those enjoyed by people in other employment sectors.
Report: Inventory of Farmworker Issues and Protections in the United States
Download: Executive Summary (PDF; 430KB) | Full report (PDF; 6.3MB)

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