Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    The Human Cost of Cheap Produce

    Walmart, Safeway, Whole Foods and other American grocers import billions of dollars-worth of fruits and vegetables from Mexico.  The companies advertise "ethical sourcing guidelines" including humane treatment of Mexican farm workers.

    • rss
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • Dec 10, 2014 • 1 min read

    Walmart, Safeway, Whole Foods and other American grocers import billions of dollars-worth of fruits and vegetables from Mexico. The companies advertise "ethical sourcing guidelines" including humane treatment of Mexican farm workers. But a recent Los Angeles Times investigation reveals unpaid laborers trapped behind fences far from home, living in squalor, short of drinkable water, bathing in irrigation canals. Is that what's keeping food prices down?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    The Human Cost of Cheap Produce
    1. 1:49Blowback from the CIA Torture Report
    2. 8:50The Human Cost of Cheap ProduceYou’re reading this
    3. 42:44New York Times Correspondent Flees Iran, the Country She Loves
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Benjamin Gottlieb

      Reporter, Fill-in Host

    • KCRW placeholder

      Claire Martin

      Producer, To the Point/Which Way LA?

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Jenny Hamel

      KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Richard Marosi

      Los Angeles Times

    • KCRW placeholder

      Lance Jungmeyer

      Fresh Produce Association of the Americas

    • KCRW placeholder

      Laura Carlsen

      Center for International Policy

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    The Human Cost of Cheap Produce
    1. 1:49Blowback from the CIA Torture Report
    2. 8:50The Human Cost of Cheap ProduceYou’re reading this
    3. 42:44New York Times Correspondent Flees Iran, the Country She Loves
    Back to To the Point