Dataharvest 2023 - the European Investgative Journalism Conference

Healthy, fresh, and tasty food, or culinary creations from around the world can be delivered to our homes or to chic eateries in European cities at the click of a mouse. From classy sushi joints to hip poke bowl start-ups, the European food lifestyle is based on the cheap labor of migrants. The migrant workers in the food industry are unprotected due to inadequate or circumvented labor laws, and the cases of their trafficking and exploitation are rampant in the EU. It doesn´t happen just on farms, but in every corner of our food system - from fishing vessels in the Irish Sea to the restaurant kitchens in Italy. In this session, we'll talk to two journalists who have investigated how European labour markets exploit the desperation of people from third countries. Maria Delaney has followed the journey of Filipino workers to Ireland in hopes of obtaining better working conditions and wages, only to end up at the mercy of a work permission scheme that has been turned upside down. Ismail Einashe has taken a behind-the-scenes look at the modern food industry in Italy, where Bangladeshis - without labor protections and minimum wages - end up in criminal networks and in the hands of human traffickers.