Trader Joe's Inks Fair Food Agreement

Trader Joe's has committed to an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a group based in Immokalee, Fla., by defining their support of the coalition's Fair Food Program.

The grocer has pledged to pay one penny more per pound of tomatoes picked by Florida tomato growers. The company also agreed to comply with the coalition's Fair Food code of conduct to improve working conditions for farmworkers.

"The goal of the Fair Food Program is to promote the development of a sustainable Florida tomato industry that advances both the human rights of farmworkers and the long-term interests of Florida tomato growers," a joint CIW-Trader Joe's press release said.

CIW activists, compromised of mainly Latino, Mayan Indian, and Haitian workers, protested for two years to win over Trader Joe's.

The Huffington Post reports that Trader Joe's opened its first Florida store in Naples on Friday, "one day after signing the CIW agreement. In a weird twist of fate, the store is located on Immokalee Road."

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