Check out these change inspiring protests by
the Coalition of Immokollee Farmworkers this past Labor Day Weekend of Action! As this article states, "The workers this
time had a powerful new weapon in their arsenal as they headed into the long
weekend of action — the Fair Food Program”
The
Fair Food Program is an “unparalleled human rights program that, in the course
of the past three years, has become the model for social responsibility in the
US agriculture industry”. The program
consists of wage increases for farm workers that are supported by a price
premium paid by corporate purchasers of Florida tomatoes (one penny extra per pound of tomatoes purchased), and a human-rights-based Code of Conduct throughout the Florida tomato industry. The price premium and Code of Conduct were
developed in a groundbreaking collaboration between tomato workers, growers,
and corporate buyers. In short, the Fair
Food Program lays the foundation for a new model of social accountability in
domestic food production.
Programs like the Fair Food Program are
critical to securing human rights for marginalized farm workers and producers
here in the US. With the high degree of
consolidation in the food industry today, multi-billion dollar brands on the
retail end of the industry are able to leverage their high volume purchasing
power to demand increasingly lower prices for the food products they buy –
resulting in unlivable, low wages for farm workers.
Publix, the largest and fastest growing
supermarket chain in the United States, has yet to sign on to the Fair Food
Program. Hopefully protests like the
Coalition of Immokalee Farmworkers Labor Day Weekend of Action can sway their opinion. But it may not be enough. As consumers, we need to let our grocers, restaurants,
food carts, and co-ops know that Fair Food matters to us! Buy products labeled as Fair Trade and shop
at places that have already signed on to the Fair Food Program such as Trader
Joe’s, Chipotle, and Whole Foods Market.
For more information on the Fair Food Program
and a complete list of companies participating, visit http://ciw-online.org/ffp_faq/.
And don't let your ethical shopping stop at tomatoes! Shop ethical, Fair Trade, and sustainable all the time with AWAZ Voice for Empowerment.
And don't let your ethical shopping stop at tomatoes! Shop ethical, Fair Trade, and sustainable all the time with AWAZ Voice for Empowerment.
