Whole Foods Market announced it has extended its support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers by becoming the first retailer to sell strawberries certified by the organization’s Fair Food Program.
Known for promoting higher pay and better working conditions for Florida’s tomato pickers, CIW has expanded its certification to include strawberries. As part of the agreement, Whole Foods will pay an additional amount for each case of strawberries it purchases. The extra money will be passed on to farmworkers.
Sunripe Certified Brands is the first to supply Fair Food certified strawberries. Whole Foods and Sunripe are the first to use a new Fair Food Program label on packages of strawberries and tomatoes.
“We advocate for and support sustainable, transparent, long-term labor and farmworker welfare solutions, both inside and outside the U.S.,” Matt Rogers, senior global produce coordinator for Whole Foods Market, said in a press release. “The Fair Food Program is the leading worker welfare success story in the U.S. We are proud of our history with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and are excited to support their certification as they expand beyond tomatoes.”
Whole Foods began selling Fair Food tomatoes in 2008.