Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Full Report | Page 94

IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. FOOD SYSTEM
In 2006, the median earnings of these workers—$350 per week—were lower than those of
security guards, janitors, maids, and construction workers. Only dishwashers were found to
have lower weekly earnings.
The agriculture sector is not alone in its dependence on newcomers. Immigrants play
an important role in the food system from fields to restaurants—as dairy workers, meat
processing workers, cooks, busboys, and more. More than half of food sector workers—both
immigrant and native-born—earn poverty wages.2
A 2009 study3 by the National Milk Producers Federation
(NMPF) found that half of all dairy farms surveyed used
“Only 20 percent of
immigrant labor, and 62 percent of the nation’s milk supply
restaurant jobs pay a living
wage, and women, people
comes from farms using immigrant labor. Research on
of color, and immigrants are
the impact of immigration on the industry found that a 50
often excluded from these
percent reduction in foreign-born labor would result in the
living-wage positions.”
loss of 2,266 dairy farms.4 As with other jobs in the food
system, the outdoor work and irregular hours deter many
citizens who have other labor options. One article quotes a California dairy farmer as saying,
“I haven’t had a non-Hispanic want to do this work in 10 years.”5
The animal slaughtering industry employed 486,000 workers in 2010. Census data indicate
that one-third of meatpacking jobs are done by immigrants, although the percentage may
be much higher due to underreporting.6 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),
“Meatpacking is one of the most dangerous manufacturing jobs in the U.S., with injuries that
include muscular trauma, repetitive motion disease, cuts, and strains.”
The importance of immigrants to food production doesn’t end on the farm or in the dairy
or slaughterhouse. Out of about 12.7 million workers in the restaurant industry, an estimated
1.4 million or 10 percent are foreign born, according to the BLS. Some are legal immigrants,
while many are not. Hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants work as chefs,
dishwashers, and busboys.7 Another study found that nearly 20 percent of restaurant cooks
and 30 percent of dishwashers are undocumented immigrants.8 As with other industries, the
proportion of unauthorized workers is likely larger than these studies indicate because of
underreporting.
Only 20 percent of restaurant jobs pay a living wage, and women, people of color, and
immigrants are often excluded from these living-wage positions.9 And like food processing
jobs, restaurant work is much more dangerous than other sectors. In 2011, the Centers for
Disease Control reported restaurants as the third most frequent setting for outbreaks of foodborne illness (after cruise ships and long-term care facilities).10 Life for immigrant workers in
the food system is tough for many reasons—low wages, irregular working hours, dangerous

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