Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
The Government Accountability Project runs a campaign aimed at protecting and empowering employees to speak out against waste, fraud, abuse and violations of the law along the food supply chain.
Some of the work of the group’s Food Integrity Campaign (FIC) includes fighting state anti-whistleblower “ag-gag” laws, shaming the poultry industry’s heavy use of chemicals, and demanding that the Food and Drug Administration share their information regarding the use of antibiotics in food animal production.
On Tuesday, the campaign launched a mobile-friendly redesign of its website, along with an animated video highlighting how workers can protect “food integrity” in the areas of food safety, animal welfare, environmental health, worker rights and transparency.
“In the modern world, it’s not possible for each of us to monitor the integrity of the entire food system,” the video states. “So how do we keep the system honest when there’s so much of it that we just can’t see?”
The website also has a new interactive tool for whistleblowers to find out what legal rights they have and get details on relevant laws. Workers can also submit an application to FIC to request assistance.
“It takes a community to build a culture of truth-telling, and FoodWhistleblower.org provides a space for this movement to grow,” said FIC Director Amanda Hitt.
The campaign officially began a few years ago after GAP held a conference at the American University Washington College of Law addressing the many transparency and accountability issues that arise in industrial agriculture.