Interesting Piece: Whole Foods Exploits Prison Labor for Your Goodies, While Ripping You Off

[wyldwolf]

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, whose net worth exceeds $100 million, is a fervent proselytizer on behalf of “conscious capitalism.” A self-described libertarian, Mackey believes the solution to all of the world’s problems is letting corporations run amok, without regulation. He believes this so fervently, in fact, he wrote an entire book extolling the magnanimous virtue of the free market.

At the same time, while preaching the supposedly beneficent gospel of the “conscious capitalism,” Mackey’s company Whole Foods, which has a $13 billion and growing annual revenue, sells overpriced fish, milk, and gourmet cheeses cultivated by inmates in US prisons.

The renowned “green capitalist” organic supermarket chain pays what are effectively indentured servants in the Colorado prison system a mere $1.50 per hour to farm organic tilapia.

Colorado prisons already grow 1.2 million pounds of tilapia a year, and government officials and their corporate companions are chomping at the bit to expand production.

That’s not all. Whole Foods also buys artisinal cheeses and milk cultivated by prisoners. The prison corporation Colorado Correctional Industries has created what Fortune describes as “a burgeoning $65 million business that employs 2,000 convicts at 17 facilities.”

The base pay of these prison workers is 60¢ per day. Whole Foods purchases cheeses from these prisons, which literally pay prison laborers mere pennies an hour, and subsequently marks up the price drastically.

This is by no means the only questionable practice of Whole Foods—a corporation that presents itself as the leader in a new generation of Benevolent Big Business. In June, it was revealed that the company had systematically overcharged customers in a variety of locations for at least half of a decade.

http://www.alternet.org/food/whole-foods-exploits-prison-labor-your-goodies-while-ripping-you

[BronxBoy]

1. Thanks for posting this...

Interesting article. WF is a major supporter of local food systems throughout the country. They pour a lot of money in sustainable agriculture organizations and organizations that support farmers markets. They are a major player here in Georgia. Wish the author would have provided more examples other than Colorado. Be interesting to see what the impact will be in the sustainable agriculture community about this.

To any attorneys out there. If I'm a small farmer making artisan cheeses and paying my employees at least the minimum wage, can a company like CCI be sued to not adhering to the prevailing wages in their area? Seems like there would be some question of unfair advantage or state sponsorship of a selected company.

[daredtowork]

2. It's sad how attempts at labor organization at Whole Foods went over liberal heads. too nt

[Luminous Animal]

3. Another good reason not to shop there.

[freshwest]

4. I stopped doing biz with them and Trade Joes for similiar reasons.

Hippies are Libertarian now?

Or did yuppies take our place?

As a former hippie who didn't get to keep the organic farm, but had to get a union job, I don't see the principle here.

And no, I am not a hippie puncher, so don't bother if that's all anyone has to say.

Just curious about the 'liberal' slant of these guys. Since this is not what I call liberal.

[J_J_]

5. The base pay of these prison workers is 60¢ per day

I don't get how using slave labor in the US is legal?

WE pay +$60,000 per year to keep people in prison so Whole foods can use people as slave labor.

Just unbelievable.

The prison for profit system combined with corporations using prisoners for slave labor= very horrible slippery slope.

It is not as if we can trust that the police and courts actually put those people in prison for good reason either.

This is incredibly wrong in so many ways.