#Rachel Berliner

[carnivalofrust]

Rachel Berliner: Abusing Workers?

Not all businesses that tout themselves as vegetarian and organic are necessarily sustainable or socially responsible. Take Nestlé, for example. Despite its expansion into plant-based foods like Freshly’s Purely Plant, Garden Gourmet, and Sweet Earth, the Swiss food giant has faced accusations of deforestation, questionable water sourcing, and child exploitation.

Then there’s Amy’s Kitchen, a well-known organic vegetarian food brand that has been dishing out affordable, nutritious ready-to-eat meals since 1987. However, recent allegations of unsafe working conditions in its California factory have led to calls for boycotts against the company.

Rachel Berliner, along with her husband Andy, kickstarted their family-run venture by selling organic vegetarian pot pies from their home in Petaluma, California. Naming the business after their daughter Amy, they’ve grown it into a $600 million food empire renowned for its canned soups and ubiquitous presence in the frozen food aisle, offering a variety of pizzas, pasta dishes, and burgers. With fast-food outlets across California and over 200 vegetarian products sold in more than 30 countries, Amy’s has made its mark in the industry.

Among Amy’s frozen delights, their fan-favorite burritos stand out with their rustic packaging. According to the Teamsters Local Union 665, the largest union in the US, Amy’s employees roll a staggering ten of these mouthwatering plant-based burritos per minute.

But behind the scenes, there’s a different story. Flor Menjivar, a five-year employee at Amy’s, disclosed to Sliced that she’s rolled up to 12 burritos per minute, pushing her body to its limits due to discomfort.

Despite Amy’s claim on its website that “goodness” is their only guiding principle, this year has cast doubt on that altruistic image. Reports of unsafe working conditions, including blocked fire exits, worn-out floor mats, faulty equipment, and inadequate training, have surfaced, prompting many to criticize the company and call for a boycott of its products.

Amy’s Kitchen has faced a boycott due to allegations of worker abuse and injuries.

The San Francisco-based, family-owned Amy’s Kitchen brand has earned a reputation as the antithesis of numerous nameless major food companies throughout its 35-year history.

Renowned for its use of organic ingredients and diverse range of canned and frozen foods catering to vegetarians and vegans, including gluten-free bean burritos and thin-crust cheese pizzas in the Neapolitan style, Amy’s has carved a niche in the market.

The company’s mom-and-pop ethos is literal: CEO Andy Berliner and his wife Rachel Berliner started the business in the milk barn of their family’s ranch in Northern California, naming it after their young daughter, Amy. Their commitment to simplicity is reflected in their mantra: “If Amy can’t pronounce the name of the ingredient, you won’t find it on any of our labels.”

Amy’s is also known for publicly acknowledging and rewarding its employees. In a February Facebook post, Rachel Berliner emphasized the company’s dedication to employee welfare and environmental stewardship, which she claims has always been central to Amy’s ethos.

However, despite its wholesome image, the company, which has expanded to include approximately 3,000 employees and facilities in California, Oregon, and Idaho, has recently faced allegations that are at odds with its reputation.

Reports of bullying, mistreatment of employees, and unsafe working conditions at its Santa Rosa, California, facility have surfaced, resulting in several injuries and sparking calls for a boycott.

Complaints filed with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health and challenges to the company’s B Corp status, which recognizes businesses for high social and environmental performance, have added to Amy’s woes. The company has vehemently denied many of the allegations, but Cal/OSHA has yet to officially address the complaints or release its findings.

Amidst the turmoil, a boycott spearheaded by various activist groups, including the Food Empowerment Project and Veggie Migas, has gained momentum. Independent grocery stores, such as Mandela Grocery Cooperative in Oakland, California, and Earth’s General Store in Edmonton, Alberta, have removed Amy’s products from their shelves in solidarity with the boycott.

Rachel Berliner has attempted to shift the blame for the boycott onto the Teamsters, claiming that the negative campaign led by the union has left employees “saddened and scared.” However, Lauren Ornelas, founder of the Food Empowerment Project, asserts that customers are finding it difficult to reconcile Amy’s reputation with its alleged behavior, and calls for accountability.

Experts suggest that the disconnect between Amy’s image and its actions may make the boycott more effective, potentially damaging the brand’s reputation and prompting a change in behavior. Devoted customers, who are deeply invested in Amy’s values, may be particularly affected by the company’s alleged misconduct and could sway the company to address the issues at hand.

Despite their loyalty, customers are increasingly prioritizing ethical considerations over brand loyalty, signaling a potential reckoning for Amy’s Kitchen unless it addresses the concerns raised by its employees and activists.

How do Andy Berliner and Rachel Berliner respond?

Andy Berliner and Rachel Berliner are adamant in their response to the accusations. They refute the allegations, stating that the Santa Rosa factory has 16 water stations, all fire doors are unlocked, and employees are free to use the restroom whenever needed, as conveyed in an Instagram post from March.

[mockingjaysnakes]

📍THE FILMING LOCATIONS OF THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES (part one).

[libraryofzeglyth]

tweet by rachel zegler | posted Nov 6, 2023 | reply

[itskeisy]

‘THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES’ Berlin Premiere 🇩🇪

credits to @cravemedia_

[tomblyth95]

Berlin Premiere 🖤🖤🖤

[dance-world]

Eoin Robinson - Staatsballett Berlin - photo by Rachel Neville

[kladmann]

Ladies and Gentlemen, ✨Queens✨

[cora-ann]

German folk tale: "As white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony."

2024: "Nope."

Lily Collins | Rachel Zegler

There's a weird adaptation (Grimm's Snow White) from 2012 where she has blonde hair (why?!?). The plot has nothing to do with the fairy tale, but at least they could use the title I think? We can probably expect the same from Disney now. If Rachel wouldn't wear this dress (what is THAT? 😳), I wouldn't guess that she's supposed to be SNOW WHITE ... I've seen some weird adaptations of my German folk tale, but at least they showed some respect and changed the title from "Snow White" into something else ...

No Snow White, no dwarfs, no prince, no love ... - if a movie does not contain the story of Snow White, it should not be labeled as such.

[Snow White and the seven Dwarfs, 1937

Schneewittchen und die 7 Zwerge, 1955

Schneewittchen, 1962

Snow White: A Tale of Terror, 1997

Schneewittchen, 2009

Once upon a time, 2011

Mirror Mirror, 2012

Snow White and the Huntsman, 2012

Snow White, 2024]

[bspoquemagazine]

Soy Capitán: Current Exhibitions & Events in Berlin

Caroline Wong‘s Feline Theatre will be featured at Neues Haus at Berliner Ensemble. Join us for the opening reception on Friday, October 18, at 6 PM (admission is free)! This presentation is part of Kunst im Foyer, an initiative by Corina and Max Krawinkel, continuing the Berliner Ensemble’s collaboration with contemporary artists during the 2024/25 season. Matthias Dornfeld‘s work is part of a…

read more

[theworkprint]

The Curse Review: "Green Queen" Shoots for the Stars and Delivers

What goes up must come down. Right?

Episode 10 of The Curse (A24/Showtime) begins with a celebrity cameo: Rachael Ray. Say what you will about her, I’m as big a sucker for a good guest spot as anybody else is. Not all are created equal. Some are met with confusion, others, derision, but I’m a fan when the celebrities play jerkier versions of themselves and this did not disappoint. Outside of giving Whitney (Emma Stone) and Asher…

[wh0reforcoriolanussnow]

On Set Shenanigans || Tom Blyth x actress!reader

GIFS by me :) cred if use!!

Summary: just a bunch of random scenarios on set I thought of while I was in the shower lmao 🤣

Warnings: noneee

Wc: 1,553

A/n: sorta all over the place sorry lmao

Divider by @pommecita

“If you could describe Y/n and Tom in one word, what would you say?” Rachel purses her lips, side eyeing the two of you who were watching her with silly grins. “Y/n and Tom are,” Rachel hums, tapping her chin as she breaks out into a chuckle.

“Goofy.” You and Tom turn to each other and just break into laughter. “They are seriously the most goofiest people I have met in my entire life! There is never a dull moment on set when these two around,” Rachel shakes her head as she smiles at the two of you who blow kisses her way.

“Tom and Y/n, there’s a behind the scenes video circulating around of the two of you in costume, dancing to Low by Flo Rida,” “Oh my god,” You drop your head on Tom’s shoulder as the two of you couldn’t help wipe the grin off your faces.

“Yes, there is,” Tom laughs as they put up said video. “If you guys haven’t see it, here it is,” Dressed in his peacekeeper outfit, white singlet with his dog tag out, and you in your outfit, you and Tom were dancing along to your favourite song to dance to, Low by Flo Rida.

Rachel was recording the video during your break and was dying of laughter. The camera was shaking the entire time because of it. You and Tom loved goofing around and dancing.

You could say it was your love language. You grab Tom’s peacekeeper hat and plop out on your head slightly wonky as you move along to the song, acting as if you were at a club in Berlin and not on set. The way you and Tom danced and moved to the music just made so much sense.

“She turned around and gave that big booty a smack,” Tom spun around as you slap his ass causing an eruption of laughter from everyone who was watching.

You and Tom were trying to hold your composure but that failed miserably as you grab Tom’s arms to stabilise yourself but turned out he had no sense of stability at that moment as the two of you fall to the ground. A light scream leaving your lips as you fall on top of Tom.

And then the camera focused on the ground as Rachel had leaned over, hands on thighs as she laughed out loud. If anyone didn’t know the context of that clip, they probably would have thought that you two were drunk but truth was you were quite sober.

The crowd on set burst out into laughter as you cover your face in slight embarrassment, Tom laughing along with the host as he pats your head.

~

“What do you usually do when you’re not filming on set?” Tom gives you a look as you bite back a laugh. “I think everyone knows this but, film tiktoks” The crowd breaks into laughter as they knew what you were talking about.

“Yeah Y/n is always filming tiktok and forcing me to do them with her,” Tom grips your thigh, shaking it lightly as you roll your eyes. “No I do not, you always want to be in them!” You argue with him. “Why don’t we watch a few of them here?” Kelly Clarkson recommended as you squeeze Tom’s arm with a smile.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQrdGn8AYiD/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== The first tiktok was of you, Tom, Rachel, and Josh in your trailer. You had the idea in your head for a while now and showed them all. “Please don’t drop me babe,” You say to Tom as you set up the camera, “I would never,” You hear him say followed by giggle.

You expected to land in Tom’s arms. Not the floor. You let out a yelp as Tom slaps his hand over his mouth. The three of them laughing their asses off while you landed on yours with a loud thud. “It’s not funny you idiot,” You slap his arm as he picks you up, apologising to you by peppering your face with kisses.

You had to admit it was pretty funny rewatching the tiktok. “You weren’t supposed to catch my feet!” You say in between laughs as you post the tiktok.

~

“This one, captioned name a better duo, I’ll wait has gone quite viral with over 10 million views,” Kelly exclaims as you cross your legs at your knees nodding your head as the video plays on the screen. https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNVsM6kw/

“Tom,” You tap your boyfriend’s shoulder as he hums. You had just finished filming a scene together and had abit of time before you were up again. You were both in your mentor outfits, Tom having his blonde locks today.

“I wanna film this tiktok, come be in it?” You urge him as he looks up from his phone seeing a glint of playfulness in your eyes as he lets out a sigh.

Tom secretly loved making tiktoks with you, especially since he wasn’t on it and found the stuff you make him do were interesting and funny. You had hundreds of random tiktoks that you filmed on set saved into your drafts, half of them were of you and Tom.

Your hair stylist helped film the tiktok as the two of you did it out in the open, a bunch of the filming team watching with curiosity and laughing as they walk by. Other cast members such as Josh, Hunter and a bunch of the mentor actors walked by ended up being in the background of it.

You and Tom moved along to the beat, literally just vibing to the music. You wrote on the tiktok “the funniest duo on set>>>” and you weren’t lying.

~

“We are here with the cast of the Hunger Games Prequel, the ballad of songbirds and snakes!” The crowd cheered as you, Tom, Josh, and Rachel smiles. “From what I’ve seen, you guys are actually TikTok sensations!” An eruption of laughter followed.

“This TikTok here specifically,” https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNqguTEY/ you all turn your head to watch the TikTok play on screen as you all start to laugh. “Tom, where were you while this was happening,” The host looks at Tom whose eyes were trained on the ground, a grin forming on his lips.

“I’m actually there in the tiktok, on the bed. Trying to sleep.” He deadpans as you giggle, leaning your head on his shoulder as you grip his arm. “Yeah this was after we came back from partying in Berlin, obviously for some of us, our night didn’t end yet,” Tom chuckles as everyone bursts out in laughter.

“Let’s do that tiktok!” You squeal the second you enter the room. Opening up tiktok, you find the video and show Josh, Hunter, Rachel, and Tom it. Tom’s arms were thrown around your shoulders, his head resting on your head due to the height difference.

“I think I’m going to go to bed,” He yawns, kissing your cheek before you all bid him goodnight. Tom couldn’t even get 5 minutes of peacefulness as the four of you spill into the bedroom and set up your phone. He lets out a quiet groan at the noise and flashing of lights as he digs his head deep into his pillow.

~

“Babeee,” You call out as you step into the hair and makeup trailer. He was sitting on a chair, fully dressed in his peacekeeper outfit, hair free from his wig.

He looked more presentable compared to you and Rachel who still had hair rollers on and were still in your robes. You had seen a new trend going around tiktok where you would stare at a guy with Justin Timberlake’s mirrors playing in the background, and you wanted to do it with Tom https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNqnRSNJ/

One side of his lips turns up as he looks up at you, “I’m filming a tiktok and I want you to be in it,” You say with puppy eyes although you know he wouldn’t refuse. You even got his hair and makeup artists, Stacey and Jade to be in on it too.

You pull up a chair beside Tom as you set up the camera. “Wait what am I supposed to do?” He asks, “Nothing, just sit there,” You innocently smile at him as he gives you a suspicious look but nods nonetheless, complying with whatever you were up to.

He honestly just expected to be on camera while you were doing something, but he did not expect to be stared down at by his girlfriend and hair and makeup artists. You stare intensely at Tom, trying your hardest to not laugh or look away.

Staring at your boyfriend has always not been an easy task, especially since he holds such intense eye contact. And his pretty blue eyes did not help at all. Tom tries not to laugh either as he gazes at you before his eyes flicker towards Stacey and Jade then back to you. “What’s going on,” He finally says as his body shakes from laughing.

The TikTok ends and you let out a small laugh, looking over the TikTok. You throw your head back in laughter at Tom’s face when you all look back to stare at him, honestly was priceless.

[mockingjaysnakes]

📍(part 2) filming locations for the ballad of songbirds and snakes.

[libraryofzeglyth]

Tom on their chemistry test | Berlin Press Conference (x)

The minute she started singing I forgot about everything else. It was like my sweat glands closed up and everything that was going on in the world, in my life, was drowned out by the song. And the scene just kind of opened up. And this was through Zoom, which is you know hard to connect with someone as it is. And I kind of left that going, oh that's Snow and Lucy Gray. No matter what is going on in the world, with them. You know his family is struggling and he's trying to provide for his family at the beginning of the movie. But once he meets Lucy Gray, it's like her singing drowns all the noise out and everything makes sense and he wants to fight for he. I think it's the first time in his life as a character that he almost becomes at least as close to selfless as Snow can be. And it's because of her and I think that is a credit to Rachel's talent and beautiful voice. That I kind of knew where that lived too.

[itskeisy]

🇩🇪 Berlin Red Carpet for Tbosas 🐦‍⬛🐍

Sorry for the quality 🫣

[macrolit]

The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.

As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review.

NYT Article.

*************

Q: How many of the 100 have you read? Q: Which ones did you love/hate? Q: What's missing?

Here's the full list.

100. Tree of Smoke, Denis Johnson 99. How to Be Both, Ali Smith 98. Bel Canto, Ann Patchett 97. Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Ward 96. Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, Saidiya Hartman 95. Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel 94. On Beauty, Zadie Smith 93. Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel 92. The Days of Abandonment, Elena Ferrante 91. The Human Stain, Philip Roth 90. The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen 89. The Return, Hisham Matar 88. The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis 87. Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters 86. Frederick Douglass, David W. Blight 85. Pastoralia, George Saunders 84. The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee 83. When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamin Labutat 82. Hurricane Season, Fernanda Melchor 81. Pulphead, John Jeremiah Sullivan 80. The Story of the Lost Child, Elena Ferrante 79. A Manual for Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin 78. Septology, Jon Fosse 77. An American Marriage, Tayari Jones 76. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin 75. Exit West, Mohsin Hamid 74. Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout 73. The Passage of Power, Robert Caro 72. Secondhand Time, Svetlana Alexievich 71. The Copenhagen Trilogy, Tove Ditlevsen 70. All Aunt Hagar's Children, Edward P. Jones 69. The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander 68. The Friend, Sigrid Nunez 67. Far From the Tree, Andrew Solomon 66. We the Animals, Justin Torres 65. The Plot Against America, Philip Roth 64. The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai 63. Veronica, Mary Gaitskill 62. 10:04, Ben Lerner 61. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver 60. Heavy, Kiese Laymon 59. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides 58. Stay True, Hua Hsu 57. Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich 56. The Flamethrowers, Rachel Kushner 55. The Looming Tower, Lawrence Wright 54. Tenth of December, George Saunders 53. Runaway, Alice Munro 52. Train Dreams, Denis Johnson 51. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson 50. Trust, Hernan Diaz 49. The Vegetarian, Han Kang 48. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi 47. A Mercy, Toni Morrison 46. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt 45. The Argonauts, Maggie Nelson 44. The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin 43. Postwar, Tony Judt 42. A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James 41. Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan 40. H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald 39. A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan 38. The Savage Detectives, Roberto Balano 37. The Years, Annie Ernaux 36. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates 35. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel 34. Citizen, Claudia Rankine 33. Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward 32. The Lines of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst 31. White Teeth, Zadie Smith 30. Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward 29. The Last Samurai, Helen DeWitt 28. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell 27. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 26. Atonement, Ian McEwan 25. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc 24. The Overstory, Richard Powers 23. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, Alice Munro 22. Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo 21. Evicted, Matthew Desmond 20. Erasure, Percival Everett 19. Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe 18. Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders 17. The Sellout, Paul Beatty 16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon 15. Pachinko, Min Jin Lee 14. Outline, Rachel Cusk 13. The Road, Cormac McCarthy 12. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion 11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz 10. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson 9. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro 8. Austerlitz, W.G. Sebald 7. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead 6. 2666, Roberto Bolano 5. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen 4. The Known World, Edward P. Jones 3. Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel 2. The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson 1. My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante

[chappellsroans]

Rachel Zegler attends the "Die Tribute von Panem - The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" European premiere on November 5, 2023 in Berlin, Germany // Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)