Criticizing McDonald’s for turning a blind eye on the human rights abuses, Jordan Buckley and Katie Shepherd from Student/Farmworker Alliance wrote an article urging the corporation to use its clout to fight the exploitation of agricultural workers. Recently, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers exposed the McDonald’s purchases tomatoes from a brutal labor contractor, convicted for enslaving, beating, and extorting migrant workers. (news-press) Further, McDonald’s also works with AgMart, a company that boasts 457 cited violations for pesticide use, the abuse of which resulted in severe birth defects in three of its workers’ babies

Certainly, McDonald’s is not the only fast food company to engage with shady agricultural labor practices. However, as Eric Schlosser points out:

McDonald's seems an obvious target for the next boycott. It is one of the nation's leading purchasers of lettuce, tomatoes, apples and pickled cucumbers. It is far and away the industry giant. (See NYT article)

Not that it is surprising that the company should be engaged in unsavory farming practices. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals charged that McDonald’s treatment of its chickens, cattle and hogs was cruel and below standards.

It would be great if McDonald’s could emulate Taco Bell and use its clout to improve agricultural labor practices. I wouldn’t count on it, though.