Friday, November 30, 2007

Why Burger King Should Not Pay More For Tomatoes

Eric Scholosser, the author of Fast Food Nation, penned an OP ED piece in the New York Times yesterday (link) about how Burger King should pay more for its Florida tomatoes. He argues that paying a penny more a pound for tomatoes could be directed right to the migrant workers, making their lives better.

Funny enough as he points out in the column that these farms in Florida are having a hard time keeping wages up as they have to compete with MEXICAN farms. So the impact of the extra penny would make it harder for Mexican farms to compete, thereby encouraging more migration to the United States, where being a day laborer may be more difficult.

Is this the best way to improve the lives of these workers?

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