Page 128 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

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SHRIMP + SLAVERY =

ONE HOT MESS

n the United States, it’s common to think of slavery as a scar
of the past, a dark regression in an otherwise gradual march
Itoward civic enlightenment, during which humans treated
other humans as sub-human. Enslaved people were forced to
work against their will, and their basic needs, such as safe liv-
ing quarters, rest, food, and water, were withheld—often while
they were being subjected to violent physical and psychologi-
cal abuse.
Unfortunately, this reality is not merely an abomination
from history. As many have been shocked to learn, slavery has
been rampant recently in the seafood industry. It is primarily
a problem in Southeast Asia, and especially in the shrimp sec-
tor of Thailand. Not only men and women but children have
suffered under unconscionable work conditions in the name
of bringing seafood to tables and pet bowls, including ours in
the United States. The most alarming case involved the larg-
est shrimp farm on the planet, Charoen Pokphand (CP) Foods,
based in Thailand. It has been supplying most major super-
markets, including the top four globally, Carrefour, Costco,
Tesco, and Walmart.
Often the workers are migrants who get taken by traffickers
to serve in what the New York Times called “floating labor camps.”
Work without wages for years at a time. Beatings. Even murder.
No matter how hot or cold, light or dark, stormy or calm, boat
captains and crew masters demand long hours, meaning almost

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