Coalition of Immokalee Workers Asks Supermarkets for Fair Food

As part of their ongoing efforts to fight the exploitation, abuse, and slavery of farmworkers, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Student Farmworker Alliance have launched campaigns on Change.org asking leading grocery chains to stand with them in the fight for fair food. Find out how you can join them and help end human trafficking in the tomato fields of Florida by advocating for farmworkers' rights.

To help fight human trafficking and other injustices in the tomato industry, The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) launched the Campaign for Fair Food in 2001. Their goal is to reverse the trend that exploits workers by harnessing the purchasing power of the food industry for the betterment of farmworker wages and working conditions. Over the past decade, they've made major headway. CIW has succeeded in getting Taco Bell, McDonald's, Subway and Burger King to support raising farmworker wages by a penny-per-pound and implementing protections against human trafficking, sexual harassment, and other forms of exploitation. They've also convinced major food service companies, including Aramark and Sodexo, as well as the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, the largest tomato grower organization in Florida, to do the same. Now, they’re turning their attention to supermarkets (Whole Foods has supported CIW since 2008.)

Over the past several months, CIW has launched campaigns asking four major grocery chains to sign on to the Campaign for Fair Food:

• Publix: Publix has published a long rejection reply to the CIW's request that they commit to some basic wage standards and implement tools to reduce exploitation and abuse. CIW, in turn, has rebutted it point-by-point. You can sign the petition asking Publix to join the Campaign for Fair Food here.
• Ahold USA: Ahold is the parent company of Giant and Stop & Shop. You can read the letter Ahold USA sent CIW refusing to join the Campaign for Fair Food. And you can ask them to reconsider by signing this petition.
• Kroger/Dillons: Kroger has made no public reply to the CIW's requests for collaboration thus far. You can encourage them to make a commitment to fair food here.
• Trader Joe's: Trader Joe's has written a letter to their customers about the CIW's requests detailing why they won't sign the proposed fair food agreement. CIW responded to their letter in detail, and so can you by sending them a letter of your own.

For maximum impact on slavery in the tomato industry, send a letter to all these chains, and to the supermarket near you (Whole Foods has been working with CIW since 2008). And check out the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' website for more information on how you can support farmworkers' rights. Because when shoppers and eaters take action, we can help end the slavery of farmworkers.

Photo credit: NESRI