Harvesting labour justice: Interrogating the social implications of sustainable transformation efforts in Sweden’s forest berry industry

Localisation is increasingly seen as a solution to the many problems associated with global food systems. However, there is growing concern that the uncritical promotion of ‘the local’ effectively conceals its exclusionary mechanisms, including the exclusion of temporary migrant workers from discussions about food system transformation. Through a critical examination of ongoing efforts in Västerbotten, Sweden to transform a criticised global food chain involving forest berries, this paper interrogates the social justice implications of such initiatives, focusing on the fair and democratic inclusion of global workers in sustainable food production. This analysis underscores the need to recognise the intertwined nature of local food and global labour dynamics in sustainable food production. Ultimately, the paper calls for a reimagining of food systems as spaces of collaboration, solidarity and mutual respect, emphasising the need to challenge hierarchical, global divisions of labour to create a truly inclusive food system.