Considerations of the division of labour in the fruit and vegetable industry are central in terms of bringing the structural aspects defining the globalization of this industry into analytical tension with agency and place, as the demand for fruit and vegetables increases. This focus would then reveal struggles over practices and meanings in different places as state regulations, migration and local politics interact to shape the geography of food and agriculture. The concept provides a means with which to understand how knowledge, representation and power develop from the work experience - similar to other studies conducted on the industrial shopfloor, or those which focus on one aspect ofthe industry (Burawoy, 1985; Zavella, 1987). This focus should help clarify how other social categories defining worker identity and shaping livelihood strategies interact with the multiple experiences and discourses about working in the global food system.