Presbyterian Mission Agency

Kroger Campaign

Members of Ohio Fair Food gather outside Kroger Headquarters in Cincinnati.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the church are asking are asking Kroger Supermarket, to do what eleven other retail food corporations have already done:  join the Fair Food Program.  Kroger Supermarket owns the following grocery stores in the South, Midwest and West:  Kroger,
 Ralph's,
 King Soopers,
 Food 4 Less,
 Fry's,
 Dillon’s,
 City Market, 
Fred Meyer, 
Smith's,
 Foods Co.,
 Hilander, 
Jay C,
 Pay Less, 
Owen's, 
Scott's,
 Gerbes,
 and QFC. Through the Fair Food Program, retail food corporations agree to:

• pay at least 1 penny more per …

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Farmworkers from CIW lead over 1,000 people to Publix Supermarket headquarters in Lakeland, FL during the Farmworker Freedom March, March 2010, courtesy CIW.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is a community-based, human rights award-winning workers’ organization in Immokalee, Florida, and a mission partner of the PC(USA) Read more about the CIW, about conditions in the Florida tomato fields, and the history of the Campaign for Fair Food.

The CIW has been honored nationally and internationally for its ground-breaking and effective work to address what have been intractable problems of poverty wages, lack …

Ahold Campaign

The Rev. Wayne Parrish, Executive Presbyter, Presbytery of Boston, addresses over 900 people during the “Do the Right Thing” Tour.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the church are asking Royal Dutch Ahold, owners of U.S.-based supermarket brands Stop & Shop, Giant, Martin’s and Peapod (online), to do what eleven other retail food corporations have already done:  join the Fair Food Program.  Through the Fair Food Program, retail food corporations agree to:

• pay at least 1 penny more per pound of tomatoes to the growers who supply them.  Those growers then pass that increase onto workers.  The …

Publix Campaign

The Rev. Graham Hart, General Presbyter of Peace River Presbytery, and Florida Presbyterians let Publix know that fair food tastes better!

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the church are asking Publix Supermarket, which is based in Lakeland, FL and owns stores throughout Florida and the southeast, to do what eleven other retail food corporations have already done:  join the Fair Food Program.  Through the Fair Food Program, retail food corporations agree to

• pay at least 1 penny more per pound of tomatoes to the growers who supply them.  Those growers then pass that increase onto workers.  …

Two Florida Growers Sign Agreements with CIW

Jon Esformes of Pacific Tomato Growers shakes hands with Lucas Benitez of CIW. Photo courtesy of CIW

October 2010 – Two of Florida’s largest tomato growers have made direct agreements with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.  On Wednesday, October 13^th, in a moving press conference, Jon Esformes, operating partner of Pacific Tomato Growers quoted Abraham Joshua Heschel saying, “'Few are guilty, but all are responsible'. ... The transgressions that took place are totally unacceptable today and they were totally unacceptable yesterday.'"  He went on to insist that farmworkers must …

CIW, Compass Group announce advances for farmworkers

September 2009 – On Friday, September 25, 2009, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Compass Group announced an historic agreement at a press conference in Washington, D.C. Characterized as “huge” in its impact and implications by U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Compass, the leading food service corporation in the United States, announced it will pay farmworkers an additional penny per pound for tomatoes harvested with the ultimate goal of a guaranteed fair minimum wage. Compass has also worked with the CIW to develop a robust code of conduct for its suppliers that will improve working conditions and guarantee transparency through third party monitoring. With East Coast Growers and Packers prepared to implement this agreement and prior agreements with food corporations this season, Lucas Benitez of CIW called on food industry leaders Publix, Kroger, Aramark and Sodexo to get behind the movement for Fair Food.

The Campaign for Fair Food

Farmworkers and consumers advancing human rights and social responsibility

The Campaign for Fair Food is a partnership effort between farmworkers and consumers to urge major food buyers to end farmworker poverty and vulnerability by improving wages and working conditions in the Florida tomato fields.  The Campaign appeals to food buyers to join the Fair Food Program, a collaborative, sustainable and comprehensive effort among the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, eleven major food buyers and the vast majority of Florida tomato growers that is advancing human rights for farmworkers through corporate responsibility and grower accountability. 

Through …