Stop Blood Tomatoes Act meant to curb Mexico labor abuses, lawmaker says

May 15--A California congressman on Friday introduced a bill aimed at forcing U.S. retailers to rid their supply chains of child labor and forced labor -- legislation inspired by The Times' Product of Mexico series, which documented widespread abuses at export farms south of the border.

The Stop Blood Tomatoes Act, sponsored by Rep. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego), attempts to bring more oversight to minimally regulated Mexican farms that supply much of America's fruits and vegetables.

Under the legislation, large companies would have to get independent audits of their suppliers to certify that they are free of child labor and forced labor. The proposal also would apply to companies in other industries that import large quantities of goods from developing countries.

Vargas, the son of a migrant farmworker from Mexico, said the bill reflects consumers' growing interest in knowing more about the goods they purchase. Companies, he said, should be held accountable for abusive labor practices in their supply chains.

Many Mexican farmworkers, The Times found, live in overcrowded camps that lack water and are overrun with rodents. They essentially are trapped behind barbed-wire fences, as employers often withhold wages and prevent people from leaving without paying their debts at overpriced company stores.

While child labor largely has been eliminated at big farms, the practice persists at smaller ones that export produce to the U.S.

The series' revelations were upsetting, Vargas said. "It was hard to read those articles...You can't read that and not want to act," Vargas said. "This is wrong. You have to change it. Nobody wants to eat blood tomatoes."

Mexican agricultural exports to the U.S. have boomed in recent years, reaching $7.6 billion last year. Half of the tomatoes consumed in this country now come from south of the border.

While large retailers like Walmart and Safeway have ethical sourcing guidelines that prohibit abusive labor practices in their supply chains, The Times found there often is little to no enforcement of the measures.

Under the proposed legislation, companies would be required to post the results of their audits on their websites. Such disclosures, Vargas said, would allow consumers to make informed choices about where they buy produce.

Increased consumer awareness of labor abuses in the footwear and computer industries has led to improved working conditions, and Vargas believes his legislation could have a similar effect for the produce industry.

"At the end of the day, it doesn't say that the government will come in one day and bust you," he said. "It does say that if you don't do the right thing, the world will bust you. Consumers will bust you. You will have reputational risk."

Vargas said he expects resistance from the produce industry, but said the measure could earn support from tomato-growing regions like Florida, where farmers long have complained that Mexican growers have an unfair trade advantage due to exploitative labor practices.

The produce industry on both sides of the border is taking more action to address worker welfare issues.

After The Times' series was published, the Mexican government and produce industry groups formed an alliance to help improve the lives of more than 1 million Mexican farmworkers. Walmart, the world's largest retailer, also announced steps to beef up worker welfare requirements at its supplier farms.