Instead of Buying Slave Shrimp, Buy One Local Food

by - Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Today, an Associated Press article circulated all over facebook about how much of the shrimp sold at grocery stores and large chain restaurants like Red Lobsters (no! How could you do this to me, Cheddar Bay Biscuits!) is peeled by slaves. Yes, you read that right. Slaves.

Not only is this shrimp traveling thousands of miles from Thailand, but it is prepared by people who are referred to by number, not name, who have no rights, and who are woken up at 2 AM everyday to get to work for 16 straight hours.

They are referred to by number. This is happening right now, not hundreds of years ago. We may have very well eaten a shrimp peeled by these victimized hands.

This is just the kind of heartbreaking news I want to be a thing of the past when my child grows up. We need to write the companies who cut cost by buying into this kind of labor. We need to take a stand, and one way we can do this is by being more vigilant in how we shop (even better, write the companies you no longer shop at and tell them why you are making different choices- put a little sting on that rejection).

Buying more ethical food can be a daunting task. First of all, it can be expensive! This is a huge issue to tackle, but if news like this makes you want to make a change, maybe try just buying one food locally. Check out what is seasonal, and you can save a little money that way! Need resources on how to do this? There are tons!

My favorite resource is Sustainable Table's Seasonal Food Guide. You can put in your location and see what produce is available! Field to Plate also has a big list of food guides, so you can find wisdom specific to your region.

I know this is a tiny thing in the face of evil, but the more we get in the habit of knowing where our food comes from, the less things like this can even be possible.

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