Migrant Labor

After providing an introductory framework to understand the food production chain and a historical perspective of food production workers in the United States, this entry provides a descriptive overview of migrant laborers, foreign- and native-born, in food production. Even though native-born make up the majority of these workers, the foreign-born are disproportionately employed in food services. The United States has historically depended on migrant labor with a preference for a “birds of passage” policy that does not encourage full citizenship for these workers.