A new documentary film co-produced and hosted by actress Eva Longoria and “Fast Food Nation” author Eric Schlosser claims to expose the underbelly of the farm labor system in the United States and says pressure from retailers and fast food restaurants contributes substantially to “subhuman” working conditions.

The film focuses on the controversial Coalition of Immokalee Workers, an organization that has campaigned over the last decade-plus to improve working conditions for Florida tomato workers.Eva Longoria, host and co-producer of ‘Food Chains’

The film has sparked outrage among Florida tomato growers, almost all of which have cooperated with the CIW over the past few years to increase wages and create better working conditions for mostly immigrant workers, some of whom are undocumented.

“Food Chains” was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and opened in limited theaters Nov. 21.

According to the film's website, “‘Food Chains’ reveals the human cost in our food supply and the complicity of large buyers of produce like fast food and supermarkets. Fast food is big, but supermarkets are bigger — earning $4 trillion globally. They have tremendous power over the agricultural system. Over the past three decades they have drained revenue from their supply chain leaving farmworkers in poverty and forced to work under subhuman conditions. Yet many take no responsibility for this.”

The website states that “farmworkers, the foundation of our fresh food industry, are routinely abused and robbed of wages. In extreme cases they can be beaten, sexually harassed or even enslaved — all within the borders of the United States.”

Contacted for comment, most in the Florida tomato industry — including the Florida Tomato Committee — declined. But Immokalee-based Lipman has confronted “Food Chains” head-on.

“We agree that agricultural labor in general and tomato harvesting in particular is a difficult job and we respect the hard work that our employees do," John Amaya, chief development officer for Immokalee-based Lipman, told The Produce News.Lipman Chief Development Officer John Amaya "While we are proud of our record in the industry and we are committed to continuous improvement, we know that there is much work still to do and remain focused on treating our people with respect and being an employer of choice…so that we can retain the best labor and be able to afford offering them a very competitive compensation package."

Kent Shoemaker, chief executive officer of Lipman, wrote in a letter to the editor of The Miami Herald: “As CEO of the nation’s largest open-field tomato grower…while I applaud Ms. Longoria for her advocacy and passion, she continues to make inaccurate statements that threaten to reverse positive momentum.”

Shoemaker countered many of the film’s claims in the same letter:

“There has not been a single reported case of a Florida tomato farmer beating or raping a farm worker,” he wrote. “Stating that people earn ‘$40 a day for 4,000 pounds’ of harvest is incorrect. Our workers are paid at least minimum wage, with a vast majority making far more than that. Last year alone, we awarded over $1 million in season-end bonuses to those who harvest our crop. We pay $.55/bucket, plus a $.10/bucket bonus. That is more than $.02/pound, which is more than double what Ms. Longoria continues to state. Our average farmworker made $12.83/hour last year and that is before factoring free housing and transportation.

“While it is true that farmworkers in this country have faced workplace abuse for generations, there is a new era in Florida. That’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement,” he said.

Cooperative efforts with the CIW are not the only driving factor improving conditions for farm laborers. Florida tomato growers compete for an ever-dwindling labor force, which has also had a positive effect on workers in the field.

“Our partnership with the CIW has provided us with an additional tool to increase communication with our workers and as such, support the continual improvement that you have seen in the industry,” Amaya said. “We have a commitment to be … a farming company that is people-focused. Our strategy has always been to treat our employees with respect and to be a leader in the industry. Farm labor is tough work and there is a shrinking supply of people who we will continue to compete for.”

Taking better care of workers is clearly the humane thing to do, but it is also good business.

“We do what we do because it is good business, not to impress anyone.” Amaya said. “This is the way the Lipman family has operated for generations. We believe that being a responsible employer, treating people with respect and being a sustainable company that offers opportunities for long term employment via our scale and treatment of workers will help us remain competitive in a rapidly revolving environment. We see being an employer of choice as a competitive advantage. We believe that being a responsible employer and a responsible leader in the industry are not mutually exclusive.”