Trouble in the ‘Blueberry Capital of the World’

Some South Jersey blueberry farms were recently cited for illegally housing migrant workers in sheds without proper septic systems — for years.

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A worker picks blueberries at a farm in

A worker picks blueberries at a farm in "The Blueberry Capital of the World," Hammonton. N.J. (Jose F. Mareno/Philadelphia Inquirer)

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Hammonton, New Jersey is known as the “Blueberry Capital of the World,” but several farms there were recently cited for illegally housing migrant workers in sheds without proper septic systems — violations that could also affect the crops. Why were these farms allowed to operate this way for years? Philadelphia Inquirer investigative reporter Claudia Vargas explains.

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