Will Work for Food: Labor Across the Food Chain

By Teresa M. Mares and Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern

Book Overview

Examining the essential role--and exploitation--of frontline workers across the food chain.

Consumers are demanding a healthier and more sustainable food system. Yet labor is rarely part of the discussion. In Will Work for Food, Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern and Teresa M. Mares chronicle labor across the food chain, connecting the entire food system--from fields to stores, restaurants, home kitchens, and even garbage dumps.

Using a political economy framework, the authors argue that improving labor standards and building solidarity among frontline workers across sectors is necessary for creating a more just food system. What would it take, they ask, to move toward a food system that is devoid of human exploitation? Combining insights from food systems and labor justice scholarship with actionable recommendations for policy makers, the book is a call to action for labor activists, food studies students and scholars, and anyone interested in food justice.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520391616
• ISBN13: 9780520391611
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.8"