Foodstand Hosts Screening of « Food Chains »

On Monday, March 16th, Foodstand (a Purpose incubation) hosted  a screening of the critically acclaimed documentary film, « Food Chains. »  The film details the lives of America’s migrant farm laborers, specifically, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) in Southern Florida. These men and women are subject to abhorrent workplace injustices, including low wages, long hours and countless daily abuses.  

In addition to the subhuman conditions these workers face, Director Sanjay Rawal also examines the industry as a whole, shedding light on the supermarket chains that perpetuate this exploitation.  The film highlights the CIW’s efforts to gain a living wage, specifically their development of a workers’ rights-based document, entitled « the Fair Food Program, » aimed at holding businesses responsible for the food they purchase and provide. 

Foodstand was truly appreciative to all those in attendance, and especially thankful to Sanjay Rawal himself, who not only attended but was kind enough to engage the audience in a Q & A following the screening. The relevance of the film and the need for discussion over where our food comes from can best be summed up by Foodstand Co-Founder and organizer of the event, Rachna Govani: 

« There is a lot that can be better about our food system. Many of these opportunities are widely  discussed among mainstream savvy eaters, but very few think about the plight of farm workers because their story has gone untold. That’s why it was critical for us to host a screening of Sanjay Rawal’s Food Chains for our community. The film elevated the human rights story of the food movement and offered people a roadmap to discover fair food — food that has been grown and picked by people who are paid a fair wage and have the same protections we all take for granted. »