Searching for the Aztec Label for Migrant Workers

Entrance to bliss...

Heading down the coast to Big Sur loads of stops along the way…

South of Half Moon Bay, which is a lovely little town and a perfect place to stop or pull off he highway, I have a stop in mind; a visit with Jim Cochran of Swanton Berry Farm.  I met Jim a few years ago at the Monterey Bay Aquarium cooking for the Seafood Solutions conference.  He invited me along with my friend, Joan, to his place after the conference.  We were on our way back to San Francisco, along the most magnificent  highway.

You will know Swanton Berry because it is marked with a yellow truck that has been planted out front and is used as prop for sign boards and a showcase for the season’s bounty.

This is definitely worth the stop.

It’s not only a charming display of jams and t-shirts, soup, coffee and baked goods with the now-famous self-service cash box.

This organic farm grows kiwi, blackberries, olallieberries, pumpkins and artichokes.

But it’s what’s behind the counter and behind a window;  the kitchen that visitors can see form the counter -  it’s what is happening on this farm which became the first certified organic strawberry farm in 1987.  At Swanton’s, it’s not just that it is organic.   It is employee owned with employees receiving benefits and vacation time, but what’s really interesting…  is that employees are doing a variety of jobs.  They are not engaging in the same routine monotony of doing the same job everyday - they are also participating in making decisions.

I peak my head into the kitchen looking for Jim.  Instead, I meet Forrest and Barrett in the kitchen making cheesecake and cauliflower soup.  I asked them to tell me about the farm

Barrett, who offers tours of the farm, says "just because it says certified organic on the label doesn’t mean that it has been grown with just practices.  We need to think about being connected to the food ethically and look at the labor practices behind the food.”

Forrest adds, “It is easier on a large scale to lose touch with labor practices.  Because we have {people without a voice}, we need to find ways to bring these people out of the shadows.  People {consumers} need to know about how these people are treated, how they live and the dangers they suffer to get here in crossing the borders and their life here.”

Just as we have learned to look for the certified organic label, we as consumers need to ask what we can do.  He tells me to look for the black Aztec eagle sign that will ensure that farm laborers who work under this label are being treated well.

“Our dream is that all farm workers will work under this label and perhaps it will cost more money, but.  will it really when it comes to the well being of our fellow friends?  If you believe that those who harvest our food are happy, our food will taste better and be better for us.”

Interestingly, that black Aztec label is not easy to find when I am in the grocery stores…

Image Credits:  gwen and tr4nslator