Shift Shapers: Tracie McMillan-American Way of Eating & Our Food Supply

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Interview by Daniel Kerbein

Shift Shapers • April 9, 2012

From the food deserts that are America’s cities, to the hot dust devils of Central Valley farms, to the bright shining rows of plastic-shrouded vegetables at WalMart, Tracie McMillan knows something aboout America’s food supply. She knows about it, because she’s worked it – earning minimum wage, and less.

In this 40-minute interview, ShiftShapers co-host Daniel Kerbein talks to Tracie McMillan, author of The American Way of Eating – Under Cover at WalMart, Applebee’s, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table.

Want an inside look at what is happening to our food supply, or what a farm worker has to do to make minimum wage? Tracie McMillan gives us a big picture view of the situation, and backs it up with research done while living inside the belly of the American food chain.

This is a nutritionally dense book, complete with a section of detailed notes, a bibliography, and even a budget that Ms. McMillan set for herself to make ends meet while earning minimum and sub-minimum wage.

Between the pages, this socially-minded journalist brings us stories of immigrant farm workers and other hard- working, poorly paid people on whom we depend for our food every day.

Some listeners may recall that Ms. McMillan and her book became famous when right-wing insult jock Rush Limbaugh berated her on the air and warned listeners that the author is “another single, over-educated woman” out to make us “lose our freedom”. In a scenario that has become emblematic of Rush Limbaugh’s reverse mojo, his victim – and her book — earned a new level of credibility and interest after the lambasting. A heated schedule of national interviews followed, (including Rachel Maddow, HuffPost, NPR, etc.)

Through it all, Ms. McMillan was gracious and found some time for an interview with ShiftShapers.

Listen to the full interview here

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