PROJECT PROTECT FOOD SYSTEMS REQUESTS DATA ON COLORADO MEAT PACKING

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Many of the jobs in the food system pay low wages, offer few benefits, and place workers in close proximity to each other or to the general public. Thus, many FSWs face common COVID-related risks. However, each worker’s ability to safely navigate these risks varies tremendously due to factors including legal and socio-economic status; the nature of their particular job duties; the workplace policies, ethics, and accountability of their particular employer(s); their ability to participate in labor organizations and the strength of collective worker voice; and their level of social inclusion and embeddedness in community.

We know that meat packing workers face higher risks of contraction and spreading of COVID-19. According to the CDC, “about 9% of workers at meat and poultry processing facilities across 14 states have been diagnosed with Covid-19”. In Colorado, there have been almost 500 cases of COVID-19 in the…