Big SugarPodcast Series
Description from iHeart Radio
Come explore the secretive, multi-billion dollar sugar industry and the epic court battle that exposes how sugar is grown, cultivated and sold. Big Sugar is a deep dive into the inner workings of the industry. Hear firsthand from the workers, lawyers and journalists exposing the lies, exploitation and ultimately the truth. We travel from the Oval Office to the nightclubs of Havana to the sugarcane fields of Florida. This is a story of our time, an untold story that focuses on human rights, lobbying, nutrition and the environment. Hosted by Celeste Headlee.
PBS Article on the Podcast: "New podcast examines sugar industry’s political power and mistreatment of workers"
This podcast features 9 episodes with three additional bonus episodes
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Episode 1: Welcome to Blood, Sweat and Tears
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Meet Victor and Selvin, who initially feel lucky to travel from Jamaica to Florida to cut sugarcane. The experiences of cane cutters like them lead two ambitious journalists to try and uncover the devastating truth about the labor supporting the American sugar industry. |
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Episode 2: The Grass is Always Greener
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Tensions between workers and a sugarcane farm erupt into violence. A ragtag group of lawyers seek justice for thousands of sugarcane cutters who have allegedly been underpaid for their grueling labor. |
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Episode 3: The Case That Consumed Them
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The lawyers gather evidence as they prepare to take on the biggest players in the sugar industry. Tens of millions of dollars are at stake, but who are they really up against? |
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Episode 4: Without Sugar There is No Country
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We travel to 1950’s Cuba to meet the Fanjul family, sugar barons whose experiences with sugar, Castro and the Tropicana nightclub shine a light on where this story really begins. |
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Episode 5: The American Dream
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Host Celeste Headlee goes on the hunt for the Fanjul brothers in Palm Beach, Florida and uncovers an even more devastating truth about the American sugar industry’s past. J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI and the movie The Godfather play a part in our story. |
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Episode 6: The Decision and the Drama
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The case continues as the lawyers seek justice for the cane cutters. The jury reaches a decision. |
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Episode 7: Bittersweet
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A healthcare worker discovers the shocking truth about the real PR power of Big Sugar. |
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Episode 8: The Battle of the Swamp
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It’s a battle for the heart of Florida and the soul of American politics as Celeste lays bare the environmental impact and political influence of the sugar industry. |
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Big Sugar Episode 9: Trench Warfare
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As the case finally wraps up, Celeste asks what happened to the cane cutters, and what happened to the lawyers whose lives were consumed by this case. And we ask what’s next for Big Sugar? |
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Bonus Episode 1: Black Snow Falls in Florida
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Reporter Lulu Ramadan set out to cover the health effects of burning cane. Now, for the first time, there is data linking Florida residents’ respiratory illnesses to Big Sugar. |
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Bonus Episode 2: Who Bears the Cost?
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Meet Kina Phillips, part of the grass roots effort in Florida to fight cane burning and encourage the sugar companies to embrace green-harvesting methods. Then, Celeste digs deeper into how the pending Farm Bill affects the cost of sugar. |
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Bonus Episode 3: Forced Labor and a Government Ban
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Charity Ryerson investigates human rights and environmental abuse allegations against multinational corporations everyday. But what she and her team found in Central Romana worker camps was like nothing they'd ever seen before. Has the sugar ban changed anything about how Big Sugar operates? |