Selected Comparisons from The Color of Food

To provide some extra context for the journal’s readers, we have included graphical representations of information collected by the Applied Research Center from their report The Color of Food. As the authors remind us, there is more to the Good Food movement than the relationship between consumer and producer, and this report focuses on the data that tells of a story of low-wage jobs scarcely above the poverty level, and vast racial and gender inequalities. Please visit www.arc.org for more information, and our thanks to ARC for granting us permission to use their research.

Figure 1.

Median annual wage, population by race.

Key finding: People of color typically make less than whites in the food system, including within specific occupations.

Figure 2.

Ratio of median annual wages; race and gender in the food chain White men earned the highest wages of race and gender groups working the food system.

Figure 3.

Distribution and median wages of select food processing workers. Latinos were highly represented among poultry, meat, and fish cutters, at 58 percent. However, they made less than whites in comparable position.

Figure 4.

Latinos working within sectors. Wages vary between different ethnicities of Latino workers, with Puerto Ricans earning the least ($9.12 an hour) and Cubans the most ($10.35 an hour).

Figure 5.

Blacks working within sectors. Black food industry managers make up 7 percent of the total percentage of managers; 52 percent are men, and 48 percent are women.

Figure 6.

Asians working within sectors. Wages vary between different ethnicities of Asian workers, with Chinese earning the least ($9.66 an hour) and Japanese the most ($15.87 an hour).

Figure 7.

Whites working within sectors. White food industry managers make up 74 percent of the total percentage of managers; 65 percent are men, and 35 percent are women.