You may have thought that there were labor laws to protect young kids from 14 hour days picking pesticide-sprayed tomatoes, but that’s not necessarily the case, according to director U. Roberto Romano’s documentary about underage migrant workers on American farms. The film, released earlier this year, was hard to catch in theaters but is now out on DVD today. Called The Harvest or La Cosecha, it was backed by actress Eva Longoria and follows three children as they work the fields in Texas, Florida and Michigan. One, in fact, started at the age of seven, and all work grueling double-digit days, seven-days-a-week in season with no health care, vacation days or gym membership–not to mention easy access to a decent education. For more about the film and what some lobbyists hope to do to to give more rights to these young workers, check the review our frequent food policy contributor Jessie Cacciola filed after watching a screening with the director here in Manhattan earlier this year.
