The Diarrhea Lettuce Company Has Been Linked to Forced Labor

In the United States, the 13th amendment, ratified in 1865, nearly abolished slavery permanently, but a loophole allowed it to continue under specific circumstances, such as punishment for crime after a duly convicted party. Over the past 160 years, forced labor has persisted in the nation, with prison labor being a significant source of revenue.

In 2022, prison labor generated $11 billion in goods. One company benefiting from this practice is Taylor Farms, known for its mass-produced shredded lettuce, which recently became the subject of concern due to a cyclospora outbreak in the US. Prison Legal News reported that Taylor Farms was contracting labor from the Arizona Department of Correction, Rehabilitation, and Reentry at a wage of $4.75 an hour, far below the federal minimum wage.

This practice is not unique to Taylor Farms, as other companies like Hickman’s Egg Farms, NatureSweet, and Televerde also contracted labor from Arizona's for-profit correctional industries. Many of these incarcerated workers were non-citizens, making their employment in low-wage jobs illegal under US law, as they could only be hired due to their incarcerated status.

The Arizona Department of Correction, Rehabilitation, and Reentry provided Prison Legal News with statistics showing they hired out 15,700 "Mexican nationals" between 2008 and 2023, though not specifying the number of undocumented immigrants. This revelation casts a dark light on the continuation of a legacy of slavery, now bolstered by for-profit companies polluting the food supply with parasites.