November 4, 2012
The real news coming out of Florida's fields today...
Workers learn about their rights under the Fair Food Program during a worker-to-worker education session on an Immokalee area farm. An article in The Atlantic by food writer Barry Estabrook, "Tomato School: Undoing the Evils of the Fields," reports on a recent education session and the impact of the Fair Food Program on the Florida tomato industry, describing the industry's trajectory from "one of the most repressive employers in the country... to being on the road to becoming the most progressive group in the fruit and vegetable industry."
For many years, farmworkers from Immokalee traveled the country speaking with consumers in churches and synagogues, university classrooms and community centers, with one goal – to inform people about the brutal reality of exploitation behind the tomatoes in their tacos, burgers, and produce aisles. And for years, a battle raged between the CIW and the Florida tomato growers over that reality, with workers fighting to expose the truth and growers struggling to keep it under wraps.
While the fighting continued, the conditions only grew worse.
From Conflict to Collaboration in the Fields
But that all changed almost two years ago to the day, when, on November 16th, 2010, the CIW and the FTGE signed an historic agreement to work together to build the Fair Food Program, the CIW’s ambitious plan to harness the power of every major level of the supply chain – from consumers and retail buyers at the top to growers and farmworkers at the bottom – to construct a verifiable, enforceable, and sustainable system for social responsibility.
The shift from antagonism to partnership began when Jon Esformes, Operating Partner of Pacific Tomato Growers, said the following words as his company signed the CIW’s first Fair Food Agreement with a major Florida grower:
“Pacific Tomato Growers (PTG) believes that it is time to speak out publicly about working conditions in agriculture. We along with many other responsible agricultural firms work daily to provide safe and fair working conditions, yet continued abuses within the industry demand that we speak out.” read more |
With those simple words, years of denial came to an end, setting the rest of the Florida tomato industry on an irreversible course toward change. A month later, Reggie Brown (below, second from right) of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange signed a Fair Food Agreement on behalf of over 90% of the Florida tomato growers, saying:
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“As we move forward, we can be certain that labor complaints will continue to arise in the foreseeable future, but it is how we deal with these complaints in this new partnership that will serve to demonstrate that we are serious and that our approach is working.” read more |
And with that, the transition from conflict to collaboration was complete.
Supermarkets turn their backs on progress
Since that time, the day-to-day, hard work of building the Fair Food Program has dominated the CIW’s efforts on the ground in Florida. With worker-to-worker education sessions in the fields almost daily, a 24-hour complaint line backed by a team of investigators and a tested system for complaint resolution, regular farm office and field audits to measure systems for compliance with the Fair Food Code of Conduct, and market consequences for growers who fail or refuse to comply with the Code, the Fair Food Program is quietly revolutionizing social responsibility in the US produce industry. In the words of a recent op/ed in the Washington Post ("Fair Food Program helps end the use of slavery in the tomato fields"):
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“This Labor Day, like every other day, the world’s most exhausting, dangerous, poorly paid and degrading jobs are being performed by the world’s most impoverished and vulnerable people. But that is not true anymore in Immokalee. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has changed Florida and U.S. agriculture for the better. May their brilliant model flourish and inspire producers, buyers, consumers and workers in every industry where labor slavery persists." read more |
That same article called the Fair Food Program, “one of the great human rights success stories of our day.”
And that is the story -- recognizing that the Fair Food Program is still a work in progress, with much yet to be done to weed out the bad actors and consolidate its gains -- that farmworkers from Immokalee travel the country telling today.
Yet despite the historic advances under way in Florida’s fields -- despite the vibrant and vocal support of consumers, and the participation of eleven major tomato buyers -- supermarkets across the country still refuse to join the Fair Food Program. Instead of doing their part to support this remarkable new partnership, supermarkets are turning their backs. And they are turning their backs not only on the farmworkers who harvest their produce, but also their customers – and even, in the case of companies like Publix, on their own public claims that “social responsibility is the life blood of our company.”
This Thanksgiving, give thanks by taking action for Fair Food
That is why this Thanksgiving, the Fair Food nation is focusing on supermarkets across the United States. In a statement from Just Harvest USA:
"With the Chipotle agreement just weeks ago on the eve of a National Day of Action and a base of support that continues to grow and grow, the Fair Food Movement has a lot to be grateful for.Join the wave of actions building across the country as Fair Food allies plan protests and delegations to call on supermarkets to recognize and give thanks to the farmworkers who provide food for their shelves, and profits for their shareholders, by joining the Fair Food Program.
Write us at organize@sfalliance.org to plan your own action!
November 1, 2012
Rural women play critical role; Food movement rising; Talking poverty... It must be time for a media round-up!
Plus... 2013 Peace Calendar features CIW!
It's that time again. For several weeks now, articles have been piling up about the Campaign for Fair Food, good, compelling articles that, amidst the flurry of actions, tours, and visits to Immokalee that accompany the beginning of the fall season, we haven't had a chance to share.
But we can't let all those great stories gather dust forever, which means it's time for a media round-up! Here below are links and excerpts to three of the top articles from the past few weeks, plus a bonus link to the 2013 Peace Calendar from the Syracuse Cultural Workers, which features the CIW and the Fair Food Program as its image/theme for the month of May (the beautiful photo at the top of this post is the calendar image).
- "Rural women play critical role in development, go unrecognized," VOXXI, 10/16/12
"As in other rural communities around the globe, the role of women is crucial in Immokalee. They not only participate in crop production but they also engage in off-farm activities (from handicrafts to empanadas) to diversify their families’ livelihoods.
Rural women strongly support each other especially in taking care of the children, the elderly and the sick. Rural women who come from migrant families today run most childcare centers, health facilities and charitable organizations operating in the area.
Migrant rural women in Immokalee have also been active in the CIW campaigns against slavery and for fair food. Thanks to their active contribution, in 2005 and after a national campaign, the coalition reached an agreement with Yum! Brand (which controls Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC) for a penny-a-pound increase in the price of tomatoes. Other wholesalers, including Subway and McDonalds signed similar deals.
The agreement also included shorter workdays, portable tents for breaks, reduced exposure to pesticides and worker’s education on rights.
Coming from very poor communities in the Third World country, rural women are used to not having tap water, electricity or even a cement floor in their homes. These migrant women in Immokalee are not very demanding and certainly know to make the best out of scarce resources, but without them the town would not have made any progress." read more
- "The Food Movement Rising," Earth Island Journal, 10/24/12
"Farmworkers’ rights: Farmworkers continue to be among the most poorly paid and exploited workers in our economy and yet, thanks to the hard work and organizing by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), farmworkers in Florida are starting to see wages and working conditions improve through the organization’s Fair Food Program. This month, after six years of campaigning, Chipotle announced it will sign the Coalition’s Fair Food Agreement to respect the rights and dignity of farmworkers by committing to pay a "penny-per-pound" premium for tomatoes to lift farmworker wages and only to buy from farms with fair labor practices." read more
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"Bill Moyers: Talking About Poverty With Greg Kaufmann," billmoyers.com, 10/31/12
"Riley: Who are the visionaries — the people who are thinking creatively and realistically about how to overcome poverty?
Kaufmann: These days, I’m very much drawn to both of the Edelmans — Peter and Marian Wright. I think Angela Glover Backwell is a powerful speaker with a clear vision. I love what Witnesses to Hunger is doing — women in poverty using photographs and their own testimonials to advocate for change at the local, state and federal levels. I’ve been following the Coalition of Immokalee Workers for about five years now, and I’m constantly astounded by what they are achieving with farmworkers — and the collective way in which they go about their work. I’m inspired every day by advocacy groups like Half in Ten, the Coalition on Human Needs, the Western Center on Law and Poverty, who are constantly pointing out the priorities and choices we are making and what a difference they make in people’s lives, for better or worse. And then there are the thinkers — at places like the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, EPI, CEPR, CLASP, Urban Institute — I could really go on and on. But again, I’m determined at this point to really speak as much as possible with people living in poverty. The three students I talked to last month who have dealt with poverty inspired me as much as anyone in the past year." read more
And, last but not least, it's never too early to order your 2013 calendar, so head over to the Syracuse Cultural Workers website now and order your copy of the 2013 Peace Calendar, where -- along with months celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington -- the last month of spring greets you with this inspiring message:
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October 30, 2012
Get ready for the big Thanksgiving Week of Supermarket Action,
Nov. 14-21!
Publix's Pilgrim salt shaker, shown here standing next to a bag of Publix's store label Fair Trade coffee, is ready to hit the streets to protest Publix's hypocrisy, are you?
Thanksgiving is the time of year when our thoughts turn to family, football, and the wonderful, abundant feast that marks the start of the holiday season. But in Immokalee, and across the country, farmworkers and their allies in the Campaign for Fair Food have another tradition, as we pause to remember the hard work and sacrifices of the men and women whose undervalued labor has put food on Thanksgiving tables for generations.
Thanksgivings past have brought us many holiday treats through the years, including a critical reflection on the two faces of Publix ("Publix vs. Publix"), a community-wide festival in Immokalee, and even a rare appearance by Rolando the Clown at the famous Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade.
This Thanksgiving will truly be one to remember, however, as Fair Food activists from Florida to California will be taking to the streets in a Thanksgiving Week of Action! If you're interested in organizing or joining a Thanksgiving Week protest in your hometown, contact us at organize@sfalliance.org, and we'll hook you up with other nearby Fair Food activists. Together, you can let your local supermarket know that now is the time to join the Fair Food Program!
In the meantime, here are a couple of things to get you in the mood. First, this past Wednesday, October 24th, the CIW joined the festivities celebrating Food Day, "a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food." While some CIW members were in Boston taking part in Food Day activities there, back here in Immokalee we co-hosted a national "twitter conference" on sustainable food. Here below is a sampling of some of the thought-provoking tweets that emerged from that conversation, all in response to the question: Why is it important for farmworkers to be a part of the vision for a more sustainable food system?:
Dawn Brighid @dbrighid Food Alliance @foodalliance Dawn Brighid @dbrighid TomikoP @TomikoP ChildrenintheFields @CIFCampaign |
And we close this update with a look back at a story from two Thanksgivings past, the CBS News video "Harvest of Shame: 50 Years Later," just the ticket for gearing up for next month's big Week of Action. The first "Harvest of Shame" aired 52 years ago on the day after Thanksgiving, shocking the nation with the first in-depth report from the fields of Florida in the modern media era. This look at the original documentary in light of today's conditions, and most importantly, in light of the historic advances under the CIW's Fair Food Program, is a stark reminder of the urgent need for supermarkets like Publix, Kroger, and Ahold (parent company to the supermarket chains Stop & Shop and Giant) to get on board and do their part to help improve farmworker wages and working conditions.
So, check out the video below, contact us organize@sfalliance.org for details on an action near you, and get ready for a Fair Food Thanksgiving!
October 26, 2012
FIU students take matters into their own hands, send Publix personal appeals to join Fair Food Program...
It's always an eye-opening experience when people learn about the history of exploitation and abuse in Florida's fields, about the unbroken decades of degradation faced by generations of Florida farmworkers.
It's even more of an eye-opener when they learn that there is finally a real solution to those decades of poverty and abuse, yet, despite this new hope for long overdue farm labor justice, their favorite supermarket chain, Florida's own Publix, refuses to do its part to change history.
It's a reaction that we have seen too many times to count over the past several years. But this week, students at Florida International University in Miami put a personal twist on their indignation following a visit to campus by the CIW, and we thought you might enjoy seeing a sample of the results. Student after student picked up a dry erase board that happened to be in the area and had their pictures taken with hand-written messages for Publix. In doing so, they joined growing numbers of Publix customers who have lost patience with the company over its inexplicable refusal to participate in the CIW's Fair Food Program.
The Fair Food Program, entering its third season in operation this November, combines a code of conduct (forged over several years in a unique collaboration among workers, buyers, growers, and consumers) with an oversight program that monitors and enforces the code through worker-to-worker education, a protected complaint investigation and resolution process, regular farm office and field audits, and market consequences for failure to comply the most comprehensive, verifiable, and sustainable program for social responsibility in US agriculture today.
So, without further ado, we present to you the thoughts, hopes, and demands of FIU students as expressed in notes to Publix:
October 23, 2012
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A whole hog is prepared for conference participants by conference participants for Saturday night's feast as part of the SFA's 2012 Symposium on southern barbecue. |
Southern Foodways Alliance selects Greg Asbed of the CIW as winner of the 2012 John Egerton Prize for advancing civil rights in the South "through the lens of food"...
Award presented as part of SFA's 2012 Symposium on the many splendors of -- and cultural, social, and economic significance of -- barbecue!
Some people just love barbecue. Then there are the people of the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA).
The Atlantic Monthly's Corby Kummer described the SFA as “this country’s most intellectually engaged (and probably most engaging) food society.” And nowhere is that engagement more profound than when it comes to the discussion and consumption of that premier icon of southern food culture, barbecue.
Except maybe when it comes to that other abiding theme of the southern story, civil rights. And so it was that when the theme of this year's SFA symposium was to be barbecue, and the intersection of southern socio-political culture with barbecue, the symposium was sold out in 12 minutes.
This past weekend, 400 fortunate souls gathered in Oxford, Mississippi, for the 2012 Symposium, and the very first panel on the agenda, entitled "The Politics of Protein and Tomatoes," featured CIW member Greg Asbed, together with Georgia cattleman Will Harris and restaurateur Nick Pihakis. They discussed the hidden costs of a food system that focuses on producing cheap food and various paths toward producing sustainable, and affordable, food that protects the people, animals, and environmental elements that go into its production.
Later that evening, Greg Asbed was presented the 2012 John Egerton Prize (above, Greg is shown speaking after receiving the award), a prize created in honor of John Egerton's "work in chronicling and championing the cause of civil rights in America, and for his contribution to our understanding of the power of the common table." The prize recognizes:
"artists, writers, scholars, and others--including artisans and farmers and cooks--whose work, in the American South, addresses issues of race, class, gender, and social and environmental justice, through the lens of food." |
By the end of the CIW's stay in Oxford, one thing had made itself abundantly clear: The Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Southern Foodways Alliance are not only neighbors, but nearly kin, with the same analysis and vision for a more just food system driving our work and the same joy of collaboration and spirit of community animating our actions. Against the otherwise barren backdrop of progressive food movement organizing in this country's south, this new alliance, born this past weekend in a celebration of barbecue and food justice, will almost certainly stand tall in the years ahead as we continue our mutual work to build a better food system that respects human rights, not exploits human beings.
Many thanks to the SFA for this wonderful honor, and here's to many more days of working -- and playing -- together to come.
October 18, 2012
Rabbis for Human Rights -- North America return to Immokalee, produce aisle at Publix, to lend voices to growing call for Fair Food!
Longtime readers of this site recognize the name Rabbis for Human Rights -- North America. In a relatively short time RHR-NA has become one of the most steadfast and active allies in the Campaign for Fair Food. From pray-ins at Publix, to open letters to Trader Joes and protests at Stop & Shop, RHR-NA has been anywhere and everywhere the campaign has gone to demand Fair Food in the past two years.
This deep commitment is founded on a growing connection between the community of Immokalee and the members of RHR-NA, fed by a series of visits to Immokalee by delegations of rabbis from around the country who spend several days in town in dialogue with CIW members and in prayerful study of the forces at play behind farmworker exploitation. This week a new delegation was in town, and we have a report on their visit, including a trip to a local Publix store (pictured above), from the people at Interfaith Action, who help organize the visits:
"This week, the indefatigable Rabbis for Human Rights-North America returned to Immokalee with seven more rabbis from across the country, from neighboring Fort Myers to Philly and NYC, to learn about the dramatic advances in Florida's fields and to plan efforts to endear Kroger's, Giant, Stop & Shop and Publix to join the growing partnership. They dug in deep, spending three days learning the extraordinary tale Immokalee has to tell from workers, enthusiastic growers, and the Fair Food Standards Council. Less than twenty-four hours had passed before the rabbis had determined that they needed to take their voices to Publix. And so they did just that: they walked into a Bonita Springs Publix, surrounded the tomato aisle and joined together in a melodic Niggun (a wordless harmony). While some rabbis spoke to those purchasing tomatoes of Publix's erosion of the long-awaited Fair Food Program, effectively convincing the shoppers to join them, others offered words and prayers of hope that Florida's supermarket giant would, someday soon, see the light. At the visit's closing, after each rabbi had laid out plans for their congregation's involvement in the campaign, Rabbi Eric Soloman of Raleigh, NC relayed to the others that he had concluded to explain this week's Torah portion, the story of Noah and the ark, to his congregation a bit differently this Friday. As the tale goes, God destroyed a corrupt world in the hopes of building a righteous creation in its place. Rabbi Eric plans to pronounce that there indeed exists a place of such transformation, where an unjust world of human rights abuses in the fields has been washed away, a system of partnership and dignity erected in its place. It's called Immokalee. |
This powerful new alliance for fundamental human rights has already borne fruit in the short time since it began in 2011. We are looking forward to much more success in our work together for food justice in the years ahead!
October 15, 2012
CIW, allies join forces in Miami to protest Publix, School of the Americas, in support of human rights!
More Publix actions in the pipeline...
All too many CIW members came to this country years ago fleeing widespread political oppression in their home countries at the hands of military dictators and their subordinates who had one thing in common -- they were trained at the School of the Americas (SOA), an infamous military training facility located at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia. The SOA boasts a long track record of graduates responsible for brutal human rights violations in CIW member home countries including Haiti, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Because of this deep connection, and because the struggle for human rights is without borders, the CIW has joined with members of the School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) for nearly a decade in their untiring efforts to end human rights abuses throughout Latin America. This past weekend in Miami was no exception, as CIW members and their families joined SOAW members for a march in Miami (the young man pictured above is carrying a cross bearing the name of a young victim of political oppression), then continued from there, with the support of the SOAW marchers, to a march on a Miami-area Publix store that stretched a full city block:
There are many more Publix protests in the weeks ahead, including a picket at the grand opening of the Dunedin Publix (902 Curlew Rd) this coming Thursday morning, Oct 18th, at 7:30 AM. We'll be there bright and early for the ribbon cutting, so don't miss it!
You can contact us for more details on how you can join us at the Dunedin picket, and other Publix protests in the month of October, at workers@ciw-online.org.
October 12, 2012
Denver Fair Food wastes no time in making the pivot...
Ask not for whom the bell tolls in Denver, King Soopers (aka Kroger), it tolls for you!
All is decidedly not quiet on the western front in the fight for food justice!
Just days after last week's big announcement that the CIW had reached a Fair Food agreement with Chipotle, the incredible crew at Denver Fair Food is back in the street, taking its message to local grocery giant King Soopers (one of two brands in the Rocky Mountain region owned by Kroger, the other being City Market).
From the examiner.com ("Chipotle signs Fair Food Agreement, is Kroger next?", 10/9/12):
"Protests for Chipotle’s Cultivate festival at City Park in Denver were cancelled due to Chipotle’s recent alliance with the CIW. Instead, on Saturday October 7, 2012, The CIW and protesters gathered outside of the King Soopers on 9th and Corona to ask Kroger (King Soopers parent company) to follow Chipotle and become the 12th corporation along with McDonald’s, Burger King, and Whole Foods to sign the Fair Food Agreement. Oscar Otzoy and Gerardo Reyes from the CIW along with members from the Student Farmworker Alliance, Denver Fair Food, and Reverend Mary from Columbine Unitarian Universalist Church reported that they delivered a letter to the manager of King Soopers asking them to join the FFP." |
Robert McGoey, a longtime stalwart of the Campaign for Fair Food in Denver, spoke about the significance of the agreement with Chipotle and the next chapter in the campaign for Denver Fair Food:
"(The Chipotle agreement) is a reminder that grassroots organizing between conscientious consumers and farmworkers has the power to shape our food system for the better. We... can take an active role in creating the world we want to see. Now it is time for the country's massive supermarket chains to join the Fair Food Program. Here in Denver we'll be calling on Kroger, the nation's largest supermarket chain and owner of the local King Soopers brand, to join." read more |
If what's past is indeed prologue, the time has come for King Soopers to stop stalling and join the Fair Food Program! There will undoubtedly be much more to come from Denver Fair Food, so we, for one, will be keeping an eye turned to the west in the weeks and months ahead.
And with that we will give the final word of this update to the fine people of Denver, Colorado, graphic style:
October 10, 2012
Food Sovereignty Prize tonight in NYC!
If you're an NYC Fair Food activist, don't miss this big night, with the CIW, three incredible grassroots organizations fighting for food justice, Tom Morello, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food and much more -- and it's open to the public!
Tonight is the big night in New York City for the gala Food Sovereignty Award ceremony, and if you live in the city and care about food justice, you're definitely not going to want to miss it!
This year’s Food Sovereignty Prize Ceremony will be held in New York City on October 10, 2012, at 7 PM in the Diker Pavilion of the National Museum of the American Indian featuring the 2012 Honorees and other special guests. The event is free and open to the public.
You can find more on the event here. And you can click here to register to attend.
Grist.org has a great story about this year's prize, entitled "These grassroots heroes are fighting for food democracy". Here's an excerpt:
"The award originated at the grassroots just like the groups it honors. Siena Chrisman of WhyHunger, the organization hosting the prize, explains that the idea for it came about in 2009 when the nonprofit Community Food Security Coalition held its annual meeting (a gathering that draws several hundred people from around the progressive food world) in Des Moines, Iowa. It just so happened that the World Food Prize was being awarded in Des Moines the same weekend. The World Food Prize, Chrisman explains, “really focuses on the industrial agriculture model” – rewarding individuals who have made technological innovations in line with Norman Borlaug’s “green revolution,” which introduced the type of high-yield, disease-resistant crops often credited with both alleviating third-world hunger on a mass scale and ushering in the era of pesticide-reliant monocrops. “We felt like we needed to have some kind of response,” Chrisman says. “The Food Sovereignty Prize is very focused on organizations and communities. We believe solutions to community problems come from the ground up.” |
The CIW is one of this year's four honorees, which include top honoree the Korean Women's Peasant Association, as well as the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement of Sri Lanka and the Unified Peasant Movement of Aguan Region in Honduras. It should be quite the night, so check it out if you are lucky enough to live in NYC!
October 7, 2012
More Chipotle agreement coverage as the blogosphere weighs in...
"As business after business recognizes the worth of this agreement, perhaps it will inspire even more to follow suit."
Last week's agreement with Chipotle struck a very large nerve in the country's food movement, driving coverage and commentary on the news throughout the extensive world of food blogs and food industry news outlets. There are a lot of stories to catch up on, so, without further ado, here is your Chipotle agreement media round-up, part two, with all the links and an occasional excerpt:
Oct. 5th
Democracy Now: "Chipotle Signs Fair Food Agreement with Coalition of Immokalee Workers"
Huffington Post: "Chipotle, CIW Finally Reach Accord to Support Florida Tomato Pickers' Right"
fooddigital.com: "Chipotle Signs Contract with Coalition of Immokalee Workers"
"While any time would be a good time for Chipotle to sign on with the CIW’s Fair Food Program, the timing of this agreement is especially visceral in that it comes right before the onset of the winter growing season when most of the tomatoes used in the United States start coming from Florida’s vast tomato farms. While the impact of Chipotle’s induction into the program remains to be seen, any chance to shine a light on this issue, improve the lives of farm workers, and elevate the industry as a whole is immensely valuable. As business after business recognizes the worth of this agreement, perhaps it will inspire even more to follow suit." read more |
ecocentricblog.org: "Now With More Integrity -- Chipotle Signs on to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Fair Food Program"
"In a world where change comes slowly and deals are often made by powerful players behind closed doors, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ successes are a bright shining light, proof that people — and corporations — can make real progress toward a more truly sustainable future." read more |
grist.org: "Finally! Chipotle Signs Deal to Pay Tomato Pickers More"
takepart.com: "Your Burrito Just Got More Ethical: Chipotle Commits to Fair Wages for Farmworkers"
"... Chipotle's decision comes just in time: Winter months are prime tomato-growing season in Florida, where most of the nation's tomatoes are grown. For farmworkers there who toil in substandard conditions, this is a step forward on a slow path toward a fair food system for all." read more |
csahewitt.com: "Another Win for Fair Farming! Chipotle Sidles up to the Coalition for Immokalee Workers!"
sustainablefoodnews.com: "Chipotle Signs Fair Wage Labor Agreement with Florida Tomato Pickers"
Oct. 6th
tarantarist.com: "Chef Jose Duarte and Taranta Staff at Starchefs ICC2012 Congress"
"We believe that as restaurant professionals this is exactly our job. There is no food without farmworkers and there is no sustainable food without fair treatment of farmworkers. This is a human rights issue that is much affected by how we act within our industry. We would like to believe that our efforts sharing this story with the chef community has paid off. On Thursday afternoon Chipotle chairman Steve Ells signed the Fair Food Agreement with representatives of the CIW. We are happy that such an important company in our industry is now an ally in this cause. The battle is far from over but this week has showed great strides." - Chef Jose Duarte read more |
Oct. 7th
qsrmagazine.com: "Chipotle Signs Agreement with CIW to Join Fair Food Program"
analisfirstamendment.com: "Stop & Shop: Please Work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers"
"Hopefully many of you in the New England area, especially those of you who are food bloggers, or just concerned people, will make your voices heard to Stop + Shop. Those of you who live in places where the other targeted supermarkets are located, please do the same. We can make a difference if we all act together." read more |
October 5, 2012
Chipotle agreement media round-up!
Plus: What's it all mean for the Fair Food Program and the Good Food Movement?
Despite the late hour of yesterday's news out of Denver, coverage of the Chipotle agreement is flying fast and furious. In the interest of keeping up with the flow, here below are links to some of the early returns:
- "Chipotle signs fair food agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers," examiner.com
- "Mexican food chain latest to join Fair Food Program," Ft. Myers News-Press
- "Food Justice Victory: Chipotle Signs Agreement With Coalition of Immokalee Workers," Common Dreams
- "Farmworker coalition signs Chipotle to higher-wage agreement for tomato pickers," Naples Daily News
- "Chipotle signs agreement to improve conditions for workers," Denver Post
Most of the initial coverage stuck mainly to the fact that an agreement was reached, without getting into an analysis of the significance of the agreement for the food movement or farm labor justice more broadly. One exception was the examiner.com, which opened its coverage by placing yesterday's events this broader context:
"In the fight for fair labor practices in the U.S. food industry, grass-roots organizing by conscientious consumers has been taking an increasing role. A case in point is today, when Chipotle Mexican Grill signed an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to become the 11th large food retailer to join the coalition's Fair Food Program. For decades, farm laborers in Florida have harvested tomatoes and other fresh produce for stagnant, sub-poverty wages, under harsh working conditions. The CIW's advocacy begins at the top of the food supply chain, with consumers who demand that large food retailers source their produce only from growers who pay fair wages and treat their workers in accordance with national and international human rights standards..." read more |
The full significance of the Chipotle agreement is still to unfold, but a few things can be safely said even at this early juncture.
First, the Fair Food Program -- which combines a code of conduct (forged over several years in a unique collaboration among workers, buyers, growers, and consumers) with an oversight program that monitors and enforces the code through worker-to-worker education, a protected complaint investigation and resolution process, regular farm office and field audits, and market consequences for failure to comply -- is already the most comprehensive, verifiable, and sustainable program for social responsibility in US agriculture today.
Adding Chipotle's full support and partnership to that mix, given its leadership in so many other fields of sustainable agriculture, will only make the Fair Food Program, and the Florida tomato industry as a whole, stronger.
Second, it is no secret that the sustainable food movement in this country has had something of a blind spot when it comes to farm labor. Way back in 2008, Eric Schlosser penned an article for The Nation on the first Slow Food gathering in San Francisco. Entitled "Slow Food for Thought," Schlosser's piece found the movement to be falling well short of its own goals, as expressed by the Slow Food movement's charismatic founder Carlo Petrini, when it comes to labor and human rights:
"At the heart of Petrini's Slow Food philosophy is a set of fundamental values that aim to distance its celebration of pleasure from mindless decadence. According to the Slow Food trinity, food must be 'good, clean, and fair.' The 'good' refers to taste; the 'clean,' to local, organic, sustainable means of production; and 'fair,' to a system committed to social justice... ... The first Slow Food Nation partly fulfilled (this) broad agenda. It earned high marks for the good and the clean but next time could do a hell of a lot better with the fair. At the moment, the majority of Americans--ordinary working people, the poor, people of color--do not have a seat at this table. The movement for sustainable agriculture has to reckon with the simple fact that it will never be sustainable without these people." read more |
Again, given its position in the sustainable food world, there can be little doubt that Chipotle's embrace of the Fair Food Program's core principles will help move the entire food movement in the right direction on workers and human rights.
Finally, for those supermarket companies and restaurant chains that are still desperately trying to avoid joining the Fair Food Program -- from Publix, Kroger and their kin in the grocery industry to restaurant stragglers like Wendys and the Florida-based Darden Restaurants -- Chipotle's decision to partner with the CIW and Florida tomato growers in the Fair Food Program sends a powerful message. As the examiner.com article says at the top of its story:
"In the fight for fair labor practices in the U.S. food industry, grass-roots organizing by conscientious consumers has been taking an increasing role." read more |
The 21st century supermarket or restaurant company no longer has the luxury of distancing itself from the sins of its supply chain. The connection between those often gross inequities and consumers is nearly instant in this age of communication, and the channels feeding that connection are growing every day.
In the case of the Florida tomato industry and the remarkably encouraging changes already underway due to the Fair Food Program, it is not so much the sins of their suppliers that will tarnish the supermarkets and restaurant companies that refuse to participate. Rather, it will be their own sin of refusing to support the groundbreaking progress spearheaded by the Fair Food Program that will, with every passing day, haunt them as the rest of the food industry -- along with many of their better informed customers -- slowly, but surely, passes them by.
October 4, 2012
BREAKING NEWS:
Chipotle signs agreement with CIW to join Fair Food Program!
From left to right, the CIW's Oscar Otzoy, Chipotle's Chris Arnold, and the CIW's Gerardo Reyes, joined in the background by student and faith allies, at today's signing ceremony at Chipotle's Denver headquarters.
From the joint press release:
(Note: With the signing of today's agreement, all plans for this weekend's
action in Denver are CANCELLED)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Chris Arnold Gerardo Reyes CHIPOTLE SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH CIW DENVER, October 4, 2012 – Chipotle Mexican Grill and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a farmworker-based human rights organization, have reached an agreement that brings Chipotle’s commitment to sustainable food to the CIW’s Fair Food Program. The agreement, which will improve wages and working conditions for farmworkers in Florida who pick tomatoes for Chipotle, comes in advance of the winter tomato-growing season, when most of the nation’s tomatoes come from growers in Florida. The Fair Food Program provides a bonus for tomato pickers to improve wages and binds growers to protocols and a code of conduct that explicitly include a voice for workers in health and safety issues, worker-to-worker education on the new protections under the code, and a complaint resolution procedure which workers can use without fear of retaliation. The Program also provides for independent third party audits to ensure compliance. “With this agreement, we are laying down a foundation upon which we all – workers, growers, and Chipotle – can build a stronger Florida tomato industry for the future,” said Gerardo Reyes of the CIW. “But more than this, today’s news marks a turning point in the sustainable food movement as a whole, whereby, thanks to Chipotle’s leadership, farmworkers are finally recognized as true partners -- every bit as vital as farmers, chefs, and restaurants -- in bringing ‘good food’ to our tables.” “Chipotle has an unmatched track record driving positive change in the nation's food supply and is continuously working to find better, more sustainable sources for all of the ingredients we use — sources that produce food in ways that demonstrate respect for the land, farm animals, and the people involved,” said Chris Arnold, communications director at Chipotle. “We believe that this agreement underscores our long-standing commitment to the people who produce the food we serve in our restaurants.” Chipotle becomes the 11th company to join the CIW’s Fair Food Program, which is designed to create a sustainable tomato industry through respect for the rights and concerns of all involved. The Fair Food Premium paid by participating buyers like Chipotle is used to help participating growers improve wages and working conditions for Florida farmworkers. ****************** About Chipotle About CIW
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Again, with this agreement, all plans for this weekend's action in Denver are CANCELLED.
There will be much more on this developing story in the days ahead, so check back again soon!
