The diet that shortens life
Did you know that the food that is "healthy" for us in Sweden is often directly harmful to farmers on the other side of the world? Paradoxical, isn't it?
The raw materials that are healthy for us Swedes are often directly harmful to farmers and workers on the other side of the world. Unfortunately, this issue is low on the to-do list of food chains. But there is hope. By reading up on what you eat, you as a consumer can raise your voice and demand change. Knowledge is power, even when it comes to vegetables.
About the campaign
At Oxfam, we are painfully aware of the conditions often faced by all the farmers and workers who ensure that we can eat good, wholesome produce here in Sweden. The inequality in global supply chains is enormous - while top executives reap billions in profits, many farmers don't even have an income they can live on. Unsafe working conditions, harassment and unreasonably long working hours are commonplace for many.
Swedes are becoming increasingly aware of sustainable food, but this means above all that the food should be organic and kind to nature. That's good, but we want to make Sweden aware of how the food we eat should also be kind to the people who grow and package it.
From the kortareliv.se campaign:
The 'healthy' produce you buy at the corner shop is often harmful to farm workers around the world. In Morocco, growers toil on lemon farms, earning wages so low they barely keep a roof over their heads, let alone food on their tables. In Italy, tomato pickers suffer from exhaustion and dehydration. In Mexico, farmers live under threat from criminal networks, all to force the best possible margins on avocados. In every nook and cranny of the supply chain, abuses and oppression go on, beyond reason. What are we doing about it here in Sweden, you might ask as a conscious consumer? The honest answer is: far too little. The suffering behind the food we eat is generally a low priority for the big food giants (talk about paradoxes). The issue tends to be postponed, stuck in paragraphs, or fall through the cracks. But let's end on a high note. If you as an end customer decide to raise your voice, this issue will be heard. When cash is at stake, people's ears perk up. Start by visiting kortareliv.se, where you can read up on the problem in general and Oxfam's work in particular. Knowledge is power, even when it comes to vegetables.
Support our work
Our work on corporate responsibility
Businesses and the private sector are the largest employer globally, playing a major role in people's lives, indeed, in entire societies. At the same time, millions of people working in global supply chains find themselves in poverty and precarious working conditions.
Oxfam works to support workers and farmers with the aim of ensuring that their human rights are respected and that they can live on their income. We press politicians and companies to act for a more equitable trading system and greater corporate responsibility in sustainability.
