New Openings for Worker Justice in the Food System: A Call for Centering Labor in Food Justice

Consumers are increasingly concerned with what products go into their food and are demanding a healthier and more ecologically focused food system. However, labor is rarely part of the so-called sustainable food discussion. This talk considers the thorny question of labor exploitation across the food system, examining the historical and contemporary conditions, contexts and forms of resistance that workers experience and contribute to in today’s food sector jobs.

Teresa Mares is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Vermont. She received a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 2010. She is the author of Life on the Other Border (University of California Press, 2019) and co-author of Will Work for Food: Labor Across the Food Chain (University of California Press, 2025) Dr. Mares’ research focuses on the labor in the food system, food security and food sovereignty, and migration from Latin America.

This presentation is part of the fall 2025 colloquium series by the Geography and the Environment Department.