07-08-2017, 04:41 AM
"I suspect this is a promotion, but when you are paying below minimum wage (say $3/hr) for labor and then housing workers in sub-standard conditions you can really keep costs down. Driscoll's farms are an example of exploitation of labor and environment. I encourage anyone to keep this in mind when buying $1.50 strawberries. Sourcing local fruit may be more expensive, but what is the real cost of those Driscoll berries?"
My first job was picking strawberries and I worked alongside the migrant workers. They made some serious cash, way more than minimum wage but they worked hard. They didn't see it as exploitation, they saw it as opportunity. I can't speak of the pay they get working in Mexico or elsewhere, it's probably horrible.
All that being said, strawberries grow really well here. We grow them in hanging baskets and get fresh strawberries every day. "Real" strawberries are much smaller and have much more flavor than the type you get at the store that were bred for size and shelf life.
My first job was picking strawberries and I worked alongside the migrant workers. They made some serious cash, way more than minimum wage but they worked hard. They didn't see it as exploitation, they saw it as opportunity. I can't speak of the pay they get working in Mexico or elsewhere, it's probably horrible.
All that being said, strawberries grow really well here. We grow them in hanging baskets and get fresh strawberries every day. "Real" strawberries are much smaller and have much more flavor than the type you get at the store that were bred for size and shelf life.