From the farm to your door: How our global food system exploits workers

This story is outside what Retrofit Relay covers. We write about home energy upgrades, weatherization, heat pumps, and rebate programs — not labor conditions in the global food system. A homeowner reading this site for guidance on insulation, electrification, or energy rebates won't find anything here that bears on those decisions.

The article itself looks at exploitation among the 1.4 billion people who grow, process, deliver, and serve food worldwide, including delivery workers in cities like New York and farmworkers globally. A new report from the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) finds that climate change and rising living costs are deepening long-standing abuses, many rooted in histories of colonialism and forced labor. It notes that 60 to 80 percent of food workers are informally employed, roughly 30 percent earn less than a living wage, and an estimated 2.1 million agricultural workers face forced-labor conditions.

None of this touches on home energy use, insulation, heating systems, or rebate eligibility, so there is no upgrade-related guidance to draw from it. If you are weighing a heat pump install, air sealing work, or a rebate deadline for your house, that information will come through in separate coverage focused specifically on energy programs in your state.