The global food system depends on roughly 1.4 billion people who produce, process, distribute, and deliver food, yet many of them are poorly paid, lack basic protections, and face abuse. A report released Monday by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) argues that this exploitation is deeply embedded in the system, and that climate change and a global affordability crisis are making it worse.
The report points to New York City's app-based delivery workers as a visible example. Many are Indigenous migrants from Guatemala and Mexico who left home to escape violence and climate impacts. Ligia Guallpa of Los Deliveristas Unidos said these workers often remain on the front lines during climate-related emergencies like storms and smoke events, but cannot take care of themselves.
The report traces the roots of this exploitation to colonialism, land dispossession, forced labor, and racialized labor systems. Indigenous peoples remain particularly vulnerable to displacement, and when industrial agriculture and climate change undermine traditional livelihoods, low-paying and exploitative work often becomes the only option. The report does not focus solely on Indigenous peoples, but it highlights their specific exposure to these pressures.