I've always wanted to see a study on how much we would pay for food if all its production was above board: the producers received a genuine living wage, if no people were exploited throughout the production chain, if environmental concerns, like overfishing, were taken into account, if large supermarket chains were not able to use their immense power to negotiate the prices so low that producers don't get properly paid, etc. I bet if that was the case, we would pay a significant share of our income just to get food. That terrifies me, to be honest. Just like most people I've gotten used to the idea that food is a basic need, and no one wants to pay a lot for a basic need. People assume the things you need to survive should be readily accessible and cheap. But when it comes to food, someone has to produce it, and there are high costs involved. And I want the producers to get a living wage and for there to not be exploitation. Yet at the same time, if someone told me that a fully ethical food production system would lead to a low-income earner like me spending 50 % of my income on food, that would not delight me. A real ethical dilemma.

@Avokad

8 ай бұрын

IT is frightening yes but we still throw away a huge percentage of food

@specialingu

8 ай бұрын

There's fair trade stuff... that gives you an idea

@krishnaSagar69

8 ай бұрын

Also try studying about the clothing industry.

@guilhermeandradedaveiga5605

8 ай бұрын

It is not an ethical dilemma. It has been a misinformation campaign since forever though. Trust me not. Read Value, Prices and Profits, by Marx.

@rksleung

8 ай бұрын

Typical of how big media is diverting attention from the Big actors in Agrobusiness. No denying that mafia has been operating farming as a business to launder money, but it is peanuts compared to what those US and EU big corp like Bayer (and parent of Monsanto), fertilisers and logistics companies have been reaping over the years. And those are State sponsored companies and would sue you to death if small corps is found infringing on their IPs. So much for the US based international RULES.

Avocados in Mexico, Banana in Equator...all controlled by the mafias

@bobbif100

9 ай бұрын

Fossil fuels and diamonds are controlled by a different kind of mafia too.

@trappart9209

8 ай бұрын

Where did you learn that I am curious

@pabloescobar_8896

8 ай бұрын

@@trappart9209if you think the local Mafias, the drug cartels, don’t control a lot of that commercial property of Avocado, Mango, Banana, ecc, I think you need to read and watch some documentary about that

@riccardorobiglio535

Ай бұрын

same mafia of england that produces nothing but wars and destruction since centuries all over the world.

Slavery never ended or changed, only the methods of recruitment changed.. ..

@user-xc3yb1vk2e

3 ай бұрын

This isn’t slavery sir 😂

@ccinSFfruitloop

3 ай бұрын

And if you come LEGALLY you don’t need to worry about this.

@Abc-pb2di

2 ай бұрын

Indeed

Really informative, I'd never realised that this was the case. Great post Guardian.

@TheDarksideoftheMoon360

9 ай бұрын

You believe everything you hear then I have a flying carpet to sell

@brentbeacham9691

9 ай бұрын

@@TheDarksideoftheMoon360make your point with some facts.

@magaldi_espresso

8 ай бұрын

Africans prefer to work for the mafia than live in Africa, this report is a trend and a lie, where is the UN to investigate slave labor in China?

@magaldi_espresso

8 ай бұрын

Wagner group -and- russia still killing africans in africa, where is UN ? ...

@Sprezzy_

7 ай бұрын

the video claims that these laborers are basically slaves being exploited by the mafia and then somehow blames Meloni for being anti-immigration. its strictly the EUs fault for forcing migrants to remain in italy. the italian government cannot help so many people, so they resort to this type of work. blaming Meloni or the italian government is absolutely misinformation. Melonis position on limiting or even stopping these migrants from coming to italy would halt this practice immediately. ask youurself why shes getting so much push back from the EU and particularly France @@brentbeacham9691

This was a well researched, well presented, and the perfect length. Good job guys.

@aenorist2431

9 ай бұрын

The fact that you think 4 minutes are enough for anything ... says something.

@TheDarksideoftheMoon360

9 ай бұрын

How do you know it’s well researched did you verify it I’d wager a lot of these “facts” are misinformation like a lot of stuff on the news these days. I bet has nothing to do with mafia if it is they would be the middle man for the corporate

@magaldi_espresso

8 ай бұрын

Wagner --group-- and russia still killing africans in africa, where is UN ?...

@St-lan

8 ай бұрын

Is the guardian paying you

@alkasoli4002

8 ай бұрын

True

Hasn’t this always been the case? Isn’t that how the mafia began in the citrus fruit groves of Palermo?

@Pyrrhic537

9 ай бұрын

Yes.

@Turtew

9 ай бұрын

Yes. In fact, Mafia made his fortune in the middle 18th century by imposing to the land owners of lemon plantations their own workers, just as modern caporalato works.

@grimgoreironhide9985

9 ай бұрын

And olive oil in Sicily. Remember in Godfather 2 where the Don kills and enemy Don who murdered his father.

@anhaicapitomaking8102

8 ай бұрын

People don't know about it. They are just happy to pay a few cents for things

@pabloescobar_8896

8 ай бұрын

@@grimgoreironhide9985why involved a movie in this

It seems we can never get away from corruption, no matter where we are in the world.

@LoveEarthHereAndNow

9 ай бұрын

As long as we keep lying, all day, to everyone, then corruption will persist, everywhere

Organized crime is a huge problem EVERYWHERE in the world.

@ndalisoxozwa3279

8 ай бұрын

And organized oppression is a even bigger problem

@Wondwind

8 ай бұрын

@@ndalisoxozwa3279 So are people participating in the oppression Olympics.

@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394

8 ай бұрын

In America they are called Republicans.

@multatuli1

8 ай бұрын

​@@ndalisoxozwa3279you could invite the world police uncle sam to "solve" dictator, but those organized crime usually endorsed by uncle sam 😢

@hubertbieniek5888

8 ай бұрын

But it’s not as big as that in some countries

Informative, well documented and to the point. Hopefully more high-level documentaries are tailored in such form. Inspires the audience to be well-informed about "local" matters the can have repercussions internationally. Eagerly waiting for the next ones!

I am glad that at least internetional news media covers this issue that is very known but ignored locally, being covered only rarely by artists.

@pabloescobar_8896

8 ай бұрын

Non è che è ignorato, si sa da anni che è così.

@meMetallo

8 ай бұрын

@@pabloescobar_8896 beh ignorato nel senso che non se ne parla e non si fa gran ché contro. Anzi una certa politica gli va incontro...

@marcor5886

8 ай бұрын

@@meMetalloforse perché quei partiti prendono i voti dal sottobosco mafioso

From India too, many migrants were decieted by these contracts. Their passports were seized by middlemen and now they are trapped in this labour system. Even those who want to get out of the country can't.

Thank you for explaining this issue to me. I had no idea.

It's crazy that food seems insanely expensive in the UK & yet it's actually "cheap" in comparison to what it could be if they weren't exploiting people. Honestly I try not to view the news because it just depresses me; feels like you can't do or buy anything without unintentionally exploiting someone. I say this typing from my phone, which was likely made in some way by slaves. Just as an example I doubt the lithium in batteries is ever ethically sourced.

Thank you @TheGuardians for this useful video 🤯

I live in Los Angeles and regularly buy San Marzano tomatoes. There’s probably no way to tell where ur tomatoes come from once their in a can.

@adrianlane4256

9 ай бұрын

Another YT vid exposed that very problem. It revolved around the growth of Chinese tomato production and all the ills in that.

@greatplainsman3662

9 ай бұрын

I grow my own. Nothing better for sauce. Have a great day my friend.

@ilGav86

8 ай бұрын

I have no idea which brands are sold in the US. But the big companies (like Mutti, hq in Parma) have adopted standards to avoid that, like 100% mechanized harvest and a strong vertical integration.

@adrianlane4256

8 ай бұрын

@@_WOLAND_ the investigation video on YT showed the Chinese as the main culprits in the misleading “Italian” type names. There is also the issue of concentrate that is being adulterated by mixing sources.

Amazing investigative journalism by the Guardian!!! They’re the best of the very best!! Keep up the great work!!

Very appreciative report related with agricultural products, organised crime, labour exploitation and marketing......

maybe a southern italian can clear this up for me? But I feel like the mafia is still a pretty big force in the social/economic life of the area. Is this true? or..

@mamutakada

9 ай бұрын

not only in the south. it is just that in north of Italy mobsters are more likely to wear suits.

@areswalker5647

9 ай бұрын

​@@mamutakadaand you think they don't in the south? Do you still believe in the mafioso as the farm like boss in the old town?

@TheDarksideoftheMoon360

9 ай бұрын

@@mamutakadayeah one had a dragon tattoo on his back and beat me with a melanzana

@joeyves7133

9 ай бұрын

è ancora presente, ma non ha più il potere che poteva avere come negli anni '80 fino al primo decennio del 2000, con appoggio della politica e di qualche istituzione corrotta e complice, ti sto parlando di Mafia intesa come organizzazione simile alla mafia siciliana e non di microcriminalità, il servizio del The Guardian è inesatto, in questo caso si tratta di agricoltori che per competere con il mercato cinese cercano manodopera a basso costo, e la presenza della mafia è limitata solo al trasporto del prodotto

@carlomagno7092

9 ай бұрын

In London and New York there are more mobsters than in the whole Italy.

Great video from the Guardian. recently, I watched a documentary concerning exploitation among immigrant workers in leather industry ( mainly luxury brands in Italy ). Same bad working conditions :(

@Solid_Snake88

8 ай бұрын

Don't worry. Migrants are fine they are here illegally.

@ennio0rh-427

8 ай бұрын

Cosa c'entra l'Abruzzo con questo video?

Brutal, that is straight up slavery at those low wages…. I believe Canadian farm workers, who often come from developing countries make around 18-20$ Canadian per hour and room and board, and can save up to buy property with their wages in their home countries.

@skh5580

7 ай бұрын

In province of Ontario, they make min wage of $16.55 Canadian. Sometimes the living and working conditions are poor.

@skh5580

7 ай бұрын

To be clear it is not great to be temp worker. Lots of outbreaks at farms during pandemic due to livung conditions.

Well presented. Lacking an important hint on how consumers can play an important role.

@anhaicapitomaking8102

8 ай бұрын

Ethical brands: Mr Organic is great

The gang master system is still legal in the UK although gangsters do have to be licensed but there are always those that will exploit the system

@adrianlane4256

9 ай бұрын

It’s the same everywhere. In the late 1970’s early 80’s when the UK economy was crippled, there was large recruitment for building operatives to work in Germany. That was a gangster run (mainly Dutch) gang master system. The only up side was the pay for the Brits was ridiculously high and not exploited in the same way, but run by gangs never the less.

I was traveling in an Italian friend's car from Naples to Albero Bello we saw dozens of open tiper trucks filled to the brim with tomatoes.

BRAVO ,HVALA ZA ISTINU

That's really sad

You want cheap stuff??? Someone has to pay with their life. Same with cell phones and electronics etc

yesterday 7k new workers arrived in sicicly from the sea to better distribute the work load.

@UCiWrMgES50tlUhV3l6NqjNA

9 ай бұрын

with all these many migrants and no opportunities for locals, seems like the only valid solution, working in the fields...

@123prova

9 ай бұрын

@@UCiWrMgES50tlUhV3l6NqjNA the other solution is just to become a transit country between Africa and the UK or the rest of europe. I head UK needs help.

Cartels: *Powder bricks* Mafia: *Tomatoes*

Great report. Extremely important if we are going to have a free and fair world to get rid of these practices and move entirely to fair trade and sustainable food practices.

@baha3alshamari152

7 ай бұрын

It's easy to say that until you realize that people won't like to pay 3x the price for the same amount of food And if you think Italian tomatoes are bad wait till you see the slavery for cacao (the main ingredient for chocolate) and cashew nuts and avocados.....

@Miamcoline

7 ай бұрын

@@baha3alshamari152 Agreed. I made fun of the rich moms and their kids who bought only from the organic aisle in the super market becasue the products were only slightly better but 4x more expensive. But now we are starting to see fair trade products that are much higher quality, very similar prices and fair trade (and charitable) like Tony's chocolate. If a few companies can do it, they can all do it surely.

The described situation is not updated. In recent years the tomato production changed even in south Italy. Today the harvest is mechanical, the price payed to farmer is higher, the main processors don't want to be linked to caporalato so check strongly the supplier. There are still some black spots but the situation is much better

Demand v Supply. Everyone plays a roll along the food chain.

Triste ma vero ,purtroppo è così in alcune zone . .Ma ci sono anche filiere produttive oneste e pulite qui in Italia .

5 seconds in "oh come on.., dont wreck tomatoes on me man!"

Exactly true report, one of my friend faced with this modern slavery, the situation is worsen there then in this vedio , thank you for showing the truth the world

Reminds me about a documentary about prohibition where in mentioned Al Capone considered getting into the dairy business because "The markup was higher".

The mafia is the shame of Italy.

Very interesting…

Better the mafia than the government

Mafia is almost everywhere!

Looks very very delicious

Carlos Marcello always touted himself as a canned tomato salesman.

You called mafia. Talk about the fact italy together with Greece and south Of Spain are the countries receiving a tremendous amount of immigrants. Geographically speaking it is not possible to avoid this sort of problem. Speak about US economy completely based on Mexicans who work almost in a similar situation but it is sort of legal… it looks to me totally broken the system. Specially when you see other countries embracing it and legalising. Big problem in Italy is because it’s CALLED mafia but it is happening in all the world only difference is it legal…

@TheDarksideoftheMoon360

9 ай бұрын

Agreed

@alessandrasilvestri9

9 ай бұрын

We Italians can at least distinguish between real agricultural mafia and exploitation of immigrants, which is not the same problem, because the last one happens everywhere. An Al Jazeera's report revealed that in California's fields and farms workers are in some cases 12-13-14 years old, Mexicans or Mesoamericans. This is even worse than what happens in Italy....

@alihorda

9 ай бұрын

What are you even talking about. It is called maffia because it is a criminal organization. Not just semathics, they are the maffia

@alessandrasilvestri9

9 ай бұрын

@@alihorda no, mafia ( not maffia) Is a local or International criminal organization of people linked by family and criminal business relationships. Exploitation, though, can be practiced by "common" criminals, or para-legal entrepreneurs, who can use even legal means sometimes to " reduce costs". Without special relationships or friendships. Ask our Police.

@alihorda

9 ай бұрын

@@alessandrasilvestri9 so a criminal organization...

I love the fact that tomatoes are not native to Italy, China nor the USA.

@marcoac-sx6lq

9 ай бұрын

Europeans selected and breeded tomatoes so to obtain nowadays delicious fruit. The one from the Americas was much different than now.

@zytrik1

9 ай бұрын

@@marcoac-sx6lq So Chinese didn’t or what?

@raphaelledesma9393

9 ай бұрын

Human ingenuity right?

@robwyyi

9 ай бұрын

@@marcoac-sx6lqsure if you read pass decade ethnocentric Eurocentric studies. Let’s just stick with the accepted facts. Domestication occurred in S. America. Specifically the north west location of S America.

@cisafrulli

9 ай бұрын

​@@robwyyiEurocentric studies 🤓🤓🤓

Shocking

Fix poverty and throw mafiosi into a hole.

But if the farmer's have to pay regular wages how much the tomato cost in stores?

Much like the olive oil industry, shoddy construction and much more....

Wooow!! I live in the South & we learn knew things everyday.

Well if they cose those working conditions we can assume that its better than what they have back home.

That's fucked up.

😮😮😮😮😮in my house?is this the enemy?italian tomato mafia?

Unbelievable 😮

What's your job...I'm in Agriculture..😂🤣

This is devastating. 😢

@Solid_Snake88

8 ай бұрын

No it's not.

In America we call it Farmland, not mafia.

What about UK self employed problem exploration

Buy local fresh produce, not canned imported stuff.

Whatever the problem with tomatoes in Italy , I have noticed that here in the USA , in my New England area , it is all but impossible to find RIPE tomatoes in restaurant salads or to buy really RIPE tomatoes in local grocery stores. . In general, FRESH FRUIT buying is disappointing . I have a nostalgic daydream of the really RIPE FRESH Fruit our dear Pop brought home to his large family then living in Washington Park neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island. Often Pop got the finest ripe fruit from venders on historic , back then mostly Italo-American, Federal Hill (circa 1957) . Returning from early morning mass at Holy Ghost Church with brother Ricky and me , Grandma Ruggieri would buy juicy red-orange ripe , outside vendor peaches. So along with classic Summer, Fall , Winter , Spring ( cancelled by global warming ) , Delicious FRESH FRUIT is also Gone With The Wind ? Even watermelon tasted better back then. As did WATER itself from the pristine Scituate Reservoir. I could live own version of a Twilight Zone episode titled : " Walking Distance " . Give my post here a ROTTEN TOMATOES REVIEW !

So, we boycott italian canned tomatoes now?

@spegasus25

8 ай бұрын

Well, u know there "Banana Republik" so not limited to "TOMATO"

@VCOSTA1861

8 ай бұрын

Its not every company, for example Mutti decided to contrast this problem by using only mechanized harvested tomatoes

Why isnt the government doing anything about it?

@petrichor259

9 ай бұрын

Maybe because they are getting funding from mafia or they also like to exploit cheap labour

Another well calculated risk from criminal organisations. Everything is like that. Crime is going to study laws to make their fall in net-law just as foreseen event, and to keep it just the day after.

This is similar to the situation migrant farmworkers face in the United States, and is unfortunately not unique to this highly specialized sector of agricultural production (take the mafia-dominated avocado industry in Mexico). International agricultural markets have always relied on exploited labor. Mass production of agricultural commodities underpins state/corporate wealth, at the expense of the health of workers and the land. This is a centuries-old model. Wealthy consumers (relatively speaking) cannot demand, cheap, abundant food available year-round and assume wages and land costs will be fair. However, this is certainly not a crisis stemming from consumer choice. Nonetheless, the commodification of food has been naturalized, and many modern, urban consumers assume and depend upon money being 'freed up' to afford an array of mass-produced goods, with food being no different. Farmers, farmworkers, and the land have always absorbed the gap between the price paid and the real costs of scaled production. At the same time, federal safeguards that used to at least protect farmers (never farmworkers) have been absolved over the last four decades with the exact intention of agribusiness scaling production/opening up "ag industry" to world markets. Areas where resistance remain (take the Indian Farmer Uprising) underscore that agribusiness is trying to stake its control in every corner of the world. Upholding food sovereignty, seed sovereignty, or trying to prioritize equal distribution and food access are all considered radical in today's context. Eaters surely lose in the long-term due to the health impacts of industrialized inputs in production, GMOs, and food processing at large, not to mention the environmental costs sustained from these models, nor the moral/ethical plight of living in systems that naturalize extraction and exploitation. The suffering of these migrants working in the Italian tomato fields is one that finds parallels across the globe.

Used to be, not many years ago, you could go to the grocery and buy San Marzano tomatoes, certificate of authenticity, stamp number. Now, it SAYS San MARZANO, but the proof they are San Marzano is a patch on the back of the label, "look at this and see where these San Marzano tomatoes come from, " no stamp, no certificate, no certificate number. I can't find San Marzano tomatoes any more.

who doesnt like tomatoes?

It doesn't affect us in the U.S. - we eat CANNED Tomatoes.

Yep 👍🏻

In Mexico they do this with avocados

3.50 per 300KG can't be true. They'd be lucky to make 3.50 a day then.

Sounds like farming corn in the USA

Is this why I can get Italian canned tomatoes for $2 p/can on the other side of the world.

Welcome

Many are coming

That's cute. Now do one about Australian government forcing farmers to push out their crops. I'd take "mafia" over government any day.

@anhaicapitomaking8102

8 ай бұрын

Do not dare say that, it's very offensive. The mafia boss who just died dissolved a child in acid. Mind your words and show respect.

Is this like the avocado industry in Mexico?

And here it is the moment that "whoa everything mafia italy bla bla bla"

In order for exploitation to function effectively there needs to be a facilitator. A go between. My mother operates in this capacity. She aids and assists others in harming me.

@brevitygreaves2321

9 ай бұрын

😂😂

Africans from the most resource rich continent fleeing a bountiful land to willingly pick vegetables like pack animals for 12 hours a day, meanwhile Singapore and Taiwan have built flourishing world class societies on small floating rocks...... 🤔

I'm happy to be told that low paid work is exploitative.

They make a lot more laundering cash through the online gaming agencies in Malta.

At the end there it's made to seem like because the current Italy leader isn't a fan of illegal immigration that somehow that is helping in contribution to slavery...when the reality is encouragement of illegal immigration IS a massive opportunity for criminal organizations to take advantage of people. LEGAL immigration reduses that, even though it might not eliminate it. Making it easier for people to LEGALLY immigrate would help more than encouraging ILLEGAL immigration.

😮Shocker

€5.50 for 300kg of cherry toms? Someone is telling porkies!

PASTA CON BROCCOLI RABE SICILIAN STYLE

nice no more passata from italy for me

I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse. Buy my tomatoes or I turn you into a tomato 🤷🏽‍♂️

This is prime example how people exploit your bad unfavorable situation and reason why i am as my life progressing more inclined towards anarchy. How you can trust your authorities, parties, government? Try to persuade me opposite when these are still going in the world after so many centuries…

Wow, from today I won't buy Italian tomato anymore.

sounds like Dole

How can one which brands practice fair trade and labor?

KBL Electric vibes

Exactly what in Italy is not controlled by mafia ?

"Italian mafia" is the government of occupied Magna Greacia in South Italy 😂😂

Well, in East-Europe teachers earn around 30 EUR per day... with college or university degree...

For the same work (tomato) a well paid harvester earn brutto about € 3.-/day in Africa! But still the African farmers struggle.

It is also unsafe to always need to reposition the blade in order to adjust the height. When you did it, I noticed the extension cord was still connected.

@sullivanspapa1505

8 ай бұрын

huh?

@sotch2271

8 ай бұрын

​@@sullivanspapa1505machine go vrrr cause connected, cut you in piece

This is the system working as planned

Hmm the Cento is from Southern Italy... Drats

What’s up with mafias and cartels in Latin countries.

next do a documenatary about UK corruption and money laundering operations through irak, ukraine... just to name a few

I will never buy another tin of italian tomatoes