The Checkout

Episode #135 Notes:30 Why did you start Ayo Foods?4:00 On the reality of starting a startup food business.6:45 The day to day of Ayo Foods.10:00 On ‘The Ethnic Food’ aisle. 14:00 Retailers and supporting diverse entrepreneurs. 17:00 The economics of selling to distributors and retailers.20:00 Closing thoughts.

Sarela Herrada is the Co-founder and CEO of SIMPLi, an emerging CPG brand creating Regenerative Organic Certified supply chains that empower farmers and satisfy shopper demands for healthy, sustainable food.

“It's not a time to take from your workers. It's a time to reward your workers for the work that they put in.”

The Checkout presents this special conversation about the grocery industry, with a focus on how the money changes hands behind the scenes and how that shapes what you buy.

The Checkout speaks with food justice activist lauren Ornelas on the campaign to support workers at Amy’s Kitchen, a popular vegetarian food company based in California. lauren has been a longtime animal rights, plant-based foods and social justice activist and has a unique perspective on ethical food systems.

The Checkout speaks with Trader Joe's United, a group of retail clerks in Hadley, Massachusetts working to organize the first ever union at Trader Joes.

The Checkout gets the scoop on the labor movement from the AFL-CIO to the Labor Notes Conference from trade unionist and fellow Texan Tevita Uhatafe.

Episode #128 Notes1:00 - What is Warehouse Workers for Justice?2:45 - What is it like working in warehouses now, especially through COVID?7:00 - Where does 3PL come into warehouse and supplychain issues?9:30 - How do campaigns for work organizing get started?12:00 - What are the campaigns that you’ve helped start?16:00 - How do you work with warehouse employees to make them better organizers?21:00 - On motivations for worker organizing.

Episode #127 Notes1:00 - What is Farm Forward?2:00 - What is factory farming, and how do you define it?5:00 - What are zoonatic pandemics?9:00 - How avian bird flu has affected food prices.16:00 - On learnings from COVID-19.19:00 - On transitioning to a better food system, and impacts on the way people access food and eat.24:00 - On adjusting our diets to reduce meat intake.29:30 - Farm Forward’s report on chicken labelling and greenwashing.33:30 - On issues with food certifications.36:00 - Disease resistance in animals.

The Checkout speaks with Kamal Bell of Sankofa Farms of North Carolina about Afrocentric food production, beekeeping and food justice.

The Checkout’s Errol Schweizer does a deep dive into the brazen corruption of the meat industry and how organizers want to rein it in and protect meat processing workers. Also… we keep talking about profit inflation, it’s bad bad bad. Prices on basic necessities are going up because big companies are raking in huge profits, by passing higher costs onto consumers than they received from suppliers. But there are solutions.

Episode #124 Notes1:00 - How did you get into tracking labor strikes as data?2:00 - Is there an actual labor uprising in the country right now?4:00 - What is your methodology for data collection for labor strikes?6:05 - Key findings from Johnnie’s research.9:00 - What types of industries have been striking recently?11:00 - What motivates folks to go on strike generally?14:00 - On distinctions between Organizing vs. Strikes.16:00 - What are unions roles in labor strikes?20:20 - On Strike Maps.23:30 - On the changes in labor policy over the past 40 years. And NAFTA / deindustrialization.28:00 - Where are we headed in labor organizing currently?32:00 - Closing thoughts.

The Checkout presents an exclusive interview with Magaly Licolli of Venceremos Arkansas and Gerardo Reyes of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. Presented by FoodTank, Huston-Tillotson University and Oatly at the SXSW 2022 event: Just Food: Community, Culture, and Economy.

Episode #122 Notes1:00 - How did you get interested in supply chains?8:45 - What’s the vision for Point of Origin?11:00 - Colonization and the food system.15:10 - Why is food getting so expensive?18:00 - The war in Ukraine and it’s impact on food and the supply chain.21:00 - IMF, structural adjustment, and colonization.28:00 - Examples of what can be done improve and make supply chains more just.34:50 - What’s next for Point of Origin.

The Checkout presents an exclusive interview with Cortlin Harrison of Starbucks United. Presented by Foodtank, Huston-Tillotson University and Oatly at the SXSW 2022 event: Just Food: Community, Culture, and Economy.

The Checkout speaks with Bob Funk of LaborLab about unions, union busting and the right to organize.

Episode #119 Notes1:00 - On Alexander Farm in Texas.3:15 - On the farm’s historical connection to The Pony Express.9:00 - The family’s connection to cowboys.17:30 - Tracing the lineage of the farms’ historical roots, and the existential threat to their farm currently.56:00 - What you can do to help support their farm.

The Checkout speaks with journalist Kim Kelly, author of “Fight Like Hell: The Untold Story of American Labor”.

Episode #117 Notes1:00 - Tim’s background and experience in international agriculture.2:30 - Defining the Green Revolution and Tim’s recent findings.5:30 - On donor funded studies and implications.11:00 - On Ag Tech, philanthropy, and African agriculture.21:00 - On the war in Ukraine, and potential impact on African agriculture.32:00 - On GMO discourse.37:00 - Scientists and Agroecology.43:00 - Closing thoughts.

Episode #116 Notes1:00 - What led you to write Healing Grounds?4:00 - Why focus on Regenerative, rather than Organic?6:00 - What is the significance of land, land stewardship, and indigenous land ownership in the US?10:00 - What is beyond the soil of Regenerative Agriculture?13:15 - On slavery and food.18:30 - On the Green Revolution and Food Sovereignty.18:00 - What’s been the response from some of your new food products?28:00 - On immigrants and agroecology.36:15 - On the potential for small farm and racial solidarity.Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and The Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming, Lis Carlisle

Episode #115 Notes1:00 - On Adam’s experience in the food industry.4:15 - Adam’s background in science and molecular engineering.6:15 - On creating flavors and formulations for industrial foods.10:30 - What is the process of developing new flavors and formulations for food companies?14:00 - Mitigating “off-notes”.15:30 - How Voyage Foods develops food products without GMO’s.18:00 - What’s been the response from some of your new food products?21:00 - On labelling Voyage Foods’ unique products. Also, legal liabilities.24:45 - Why should more people have a better understanding of food science?30:00 - Resources for food science

1:00 - How did you end up studying racism and political economy?3:50 - What is your definition of Neo-Liberalism?8:30 - On racial capitalism in the food industry.16:00 - How do you identify Neo-Liberal policies?18:45 - How is Neo-Liberalism different than Libertarianism?26:00 - On Black Radical Tradition.30:00 - On thinkers and scholars on racial capitalism.40:00 - On contemporary protests and how it ties to Black Radical Tradition in the US.41:00 - On the concept of Class Suicide.50:00 - Book Recommendations!Policing the Crisis, Stuart HallBlack Marxism, Cedric RobinsonThe Wretched of the Earth, Frantz FanonTheory of Global Capitalism, William Robinson

Episode #113 Max Ajl Notes:30 How did you come to write A People’s Green New Deal?7:30 What is the history of the global south’s movements and how the Green New Deal has watered these down?21:00 On vegan neo-colonialism.32:00 On the links between global capital and the plant-based industry.51:00 Can you tell us about the concept of Degrowth?

Episode #112 Kathy Finn, UFCW 770:30 Happenings of the labor movement in Souther California.2:15 What’s your role at UFCW, and how do you find yourself in this line of work?4:30 What is the current status of the current labor negotiations with grocery retailers, and can you describe some of the illegal activities they are engaging in?8:30 What are the policies and working conditions they have imposed?11:30 On hazard pay mandates.14:40 What is the appeal of unionizing through UFCW?18:35 Closing thoughts.

Episode #111 Pat Mooney Notes:30 On how small farms nourish 70% of the world’s population.3:00 On the study “Which Farms Feed the World and Has Farmland Become More Concentrated?”8:30 On Food Sovereignty and industrial agriculture.17:30 What do large, corporate food entities stand to gain from changing our narrative around food production?21:00 Can you tell us about the concept of Degrowth?

Episode Notes1:00 - What is your area of study and research?9:20 - On the farming sector in Iowa.13:30 - On farm subsidies.17:40 - On the ethanol industry.23:00 - On producing for feed for factory farming and resulting externalities.32:00 - The role of policy in changing conventional agricultural practices in Iowa.38:00 - On farm workers in Iowa.40:30 - On President Biden’s plan to take on the consolidated meat industry.44:00 - On reforming the USDA to better serve non-conventional interests.50:00 - What would a climate friendly, safe food system look like in Iowa?54:00 - Recommended readings:Civil EatsThe CounterTom Philpot

Robinson-Patman Act: https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/price-discrimination-robinson-patman

The Checkout does a two part deep dive on Grocery industry consolidation and the need for great antitrust oversight.

Episode #107 Notes1:00 - What is The Workers Defense Project?2:00 - Why is there a focus on construction workers?4:00 - How is Workers Defense Project organized? What’s it like working in this trade?10:00 - How is it different working construction in Texas, as opposed to other parts of the country?14:00 - What is the Theory of Change for Workers Defense Project?16:00 - Workers Defense Project’s approach to policy work in Texas.20:00 - Key campaign victories for Workers Defense Project.24:00 - What does Workers Defense Project want to achieve in the coming years?25:00 - How will COVID remain an area of focus regarding worksite safety?29:00 - Thoughts on PROACT.31:00 - Closing thoughts.

Episode #106 Notes:30 Defining ‘Working Class’3:30 On Jarred’s research methods for Common Sense Solidarity7:50 High level findings from the report.15:00 On how gender plays into research findings surrounding politics and identity.20:00 On how political views change on racial lines.23:00 On how political views change on economic status.28:00 On how political views change with geography.34:30 Economically progressive vs. Socially progressive41:30 Closing thoughts

The Checkout speaks with Wally Borgan, President of BCTGM Local 22 in Minnesota.

The Checkout’s Grocery Update returns with a breakdown of the current food crisis. Rampant profiteering, consolidation and low wages has led to increased grocery prices and widespread food insecurity among grocery workers. How is that acceptable?

1:00 – How did you end up writing about food and farming?9:15 - On food safety and it’s larger implications in food systems.17:30 - On-farm food safety issues.23:00 - On the roots of inequity and colonialism in the food system.30:00 - On conventional food production and policy intersections.37:30 - On the development of rural demographics.48:15 - On Wendell Berry57:00 - Critiques of the Good Food Movement.1:05 - On farm viability.1:13 - Book Recommendations!The Dictator’s HandbookTerror Management Theory

The Checkout speak with Noemi Barrera, a union organizer with Local 338, and Rodolfo Mendez, a farmworker at Pindar Vineyards who recently joined RWDSU’s first farmworker union in New York State.

1:00 – Can you tell us a bit about what it’s like to farm in India?4:00 – How is farming different and similar to farming in the US?6:00 – What in India is farming concentrated?10:30 – What are the socioeconomic policies being pushed in India government right now, and how does it impact farmers?12:45 – How are these policies related to the 70’s Green Revolution?19:00 – How have farmers resisted these laws and policies?22:00 – What policies need to change in India?24:00 – What can we do to support? 26:00 – Book Recommendations!Keep Moving On - The Migration of a Punjabi Sikh Family, Amred SinghThe Paradox of India’s Bread Basket, Malika Core

1:00 – What got you interested in organizing foodworkers in meat processing?5:00 – What is it like to work in a meat processing plant?8:00 – How are meat processor workers treated by their employers?10:30 – How has COVID impacted the lives and work of workers in meat processing plants?14:30 – What role should OSHA play in regulating working conditions?16:15 – How have workers responded to poor working conditions during COVID?20:00 – How has COVID impacted the families and communities of their workers?22:00 – What should the government do to balance meat processor power?24:30 – What is your vision for organizing?29:00 – What does a fair and just food system look like to you?31:00 – How to support and additional resources.

The Checkout speaks with Cristina Lujan, an employee and union member with BCTGM Local 37 about their working conditions and demands.

1:00 – What motivated you to build a compendium of agroecogology?5:00 – What was discussed at the UN Food Summit you attended?7:00 – Can agroecology feed the world?11:00 – Is agroecology scalable?15:30 – Can agroecology provide meaningful livlihoods?18:00 – Can agroecology help solve climate change?24:00 – How can agroecology be molded with the current framework for the globalized food system? 28:30 – What is agroecology, exactly? 31:30 – How do we prevent agroecology from being gentrified and commodified?37:00 – What are the next steps for furthering agroecology?39:00 – Closing thoughts.

Episode #97 Notes1:00 - What motivated you to start Saffron Road?4:15 - What does halal mean? And what are the standards and certifiers around it?8:00 - What was the path to market for your company?11:20 - What were your biggest challenges getting to market in the first few years?13:15 - How do you handle naysayers in the halal space?21:00 - On Saffron Road’s certifications and sustainability standards.24:00 - What lessons have you learned that you’d share with us?28:00 - How have you managed through COVID?32:45 - Tell us about your social impact through the purchases you make?43:00 - Book Recommendations!Green Deen, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, Keith EllisonMarketing to the New Majority, David BurgosHalal Branding, Dr. Jonathan Wilson

The Kellogg’s strike is over and workers have a new contract. The Checkout recently spoke with rank and file Kellogg’s worker Victor Francia, a member of BCTGM Local 50G in Omaha, Nebraska.

Episode #95 Notes:30 How did you get interested in immigration and agriculture?5:00 What is the premise of Fruits of Labor?9:30 The political-economic context of farm work in the US.15:00 What other parts of the food sector do you explore in this film?23:30 On the experience of women in farm work.36:30 What can we do to support your work?

Episode #94 Notes:30 The political-economic context for farm workers in the US, and its exclusion from labor laws.3:00 How does immigration policy related to farm worker rights?6:00 Where do a lot of farm workers come from in the US?8:30 On agriculture in the Skagit Valley in Washington State.12:30 On recent farm worker labor unrest and organizing in Washington State.20:00 How have farm workers been treated during COVID?27:00 How has climate change and extreme heat impacted farm workers?33:00 How are farm workers organizing around food soverignty?40:00 Closing thoughts.

Episode #93 Notes:30 Why did you make “They’re Trying to Kill Us”?2:00 On growing up in Ferguson, Missouri influence you?5:00 On food related health outcomes.7:30 On Racial Capitalism and defining Food Deserts.13:00 Industrial animal food product and chronic disease in black communities.17:00 Interconnectivity between large corporate interests. 20:00 Harnessing the power and motivation of Black Lives Matter and other movements around the country.22:00 What are the benefits of a plant-based diet?28:00 Goals and hopes for folks who watch this film.30:45 Closing thoughts.

Episode #92 Notes:30 Introduction to Agroecology 7:05 Areas of research 9:50 What is Agroecology 12:15 Research strategies 15:40 Agroecology and Regenerative Ag18:00 Agroecology and GMOs23:00 Agroecology, Justice and Farmers29:20 Local food systems 39:50 A Just transition 48:50 Further Reading

Episode #90 NotesJessica Choy, Campaign Director of Unite Here1:00 - What is Unite Here? And why is Unite Here organizing against Hello Fresh?4:15 - What was it like working in a Hello Fresh facility during COVID-19?8:45 - What spurred this campaign at Hello Fresh?10:30 - What are workers hoping to achieve through organizing at Hello Fresh?12:00 - Where do you see the labor movement going in the US?14:00 - Why would you encourage someone to organize?John Youngston, Shipping Department at Hello Fresh18:45 - Tell us about what you do at Hello Fresh.19:30 - What’s it been like working at Hello Fresh during COVID-19?21:00 - What got you interested in forming a union at Hello Fresh?22:15 - What are the benefits of forming a union?23:15 - Why is there so much labor unrest in the last few months in the food industry?25:15 - How has Hello Fresh reacted to the labor organizing efforts?26:15 - What should we know about how we should improve the food system?28:00 - How can we support your campaign?

The Checkout does a deep dive on E.U.’s expansive Farm To Fork framework and where the USDA has gone wrong in their approach to food systems. This one’s for you, Secretary Vilsack.

Episode #89 Notes1:00 - What is your motivation?2:30 - Why did you start the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA)?5:00 - What are some of your proudest accomplishments at PBFA?8:00 - Since you’ve left PBFA, what thoughts and concerns do you have for plant based foods?11:30 - Why won’t ‘the marketplace’ fix the food system?15:30 - On plant based food’s company advocacy.19:00 - On greenwashing and cellular agriculture.26:30 - On food tech and experiments gone awry.35:30 - What happened to health as a core value in veganism?43:00 - Book Recommendations!Winners Take All, Anand GiridharadasBillion Dollar Burger, Chase PurdyA Foodie’s Guide To Capitalism, Eric Holt-Gimenez

Episode #88 Notes0:45 - Alan’s issues of synthetic biology and GMO.9:15 - On gene editing, CRISPR, and defining synthetic biology.22:00 - How these technologies work and how they’re deployed in food production.27:00 - Who is funding these technologies in food production?38:00 - The Commons as a response to consolidated agricultural land ownership.42:00 - On GMO’s in Africa.Book RecommendationThe Great Transformation, Karl Polanyi

Episode #87 Notes1:00 - What makes Dr. Bronner’s supply chain so unique?4:30 - How did the supply chain come about and develop?14:00 - What are the typical conditions of farmers and supply chain workers?21:40 - How have workers and owners in the Dr. Bronner’s supply chain benefited from their relationship with y’all?27:00 - How have customers reacted to your developments in supply chain? And is it replicable?35:00 - How is Dr. Bronner’s approach creating a more fair and just food system?40:00 - Book Recommendations!Honor They Label, Gero LesonThe Carbon Farming Solution, Eric ToensmeierEntangled Lives: How fungi make our worlds, change our minds, and shape our future, Merlin SheldrakeAgroecology: Science and Politics, Rosset and Altieri

How do we understand incoming food technologies? The Checkout does a deep dive on the science and political economy of synthetic biology, microbial fermentation and New GMOs. Plus, two inspiring examples of worker-led victories in the food system.