FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation Pledges Exclusive Support of the Fair Food Program’s USDA Pilot Project
The grant will enable Fair Food Program to double in size and scope across the United States
IMMOKALEE, FL— The Howard G. Buffett Foundation has pledged up to $3.2 million in grant funding over two years, to fund new expansion of the Fair Food Program (FFP), which is taking place through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program. The funds will be dedicated specifically to supporting the FFP’s work necessary to bring 27 new growers across 13 new states and multiple new crops into the program. By joining the FFP, these 27 growers agree to implement the program’s essential labor protections for farmworkers.
Thanks to the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the FFP will meet the immediate demands necessary to incorporate these new USDA pilot farms, and ensure protections from forced labor, wage theft, harassment, and other forms of abuse, as well as dangerous conditions, including heat stress, for thousands more farmworkers. The FFP will also work to support new participating farmers as they bring their systems in line with the FFP’s human rights standards.
“We have come a long way since standing up for ourselves in the tomato fields of Florida,” said Lucas Benitez, a farmworker, co-founder of the CIW, and recipient of the 2023 Wallenberg Medal. “Now, thanks to the generous support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, we are enabling farmworkers across the United States to stand up for themselves and to protect their essential rights under the Fair Food Program.”
The Fair Food Program, which launched in 2010 in Florida, will soon be active in 23 states in the U.S., as well as other countries, including Chile and South Africa.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Howard G. Buffett Foundation for their support,” said Mike Rios, Executive Director of the Fair Food Standards Council, which monitors and oversees the implementation of the Fair Food Program. “This grant will enable the Fair Food Program to dramatically expand in order to meet the urgency of the moment in the fields. With each new crop we expand into, we bring hope to yet another section of the agricultural industry for farmworkers, as well as growers who implement the FFP’s standards.”
About the Fair Food Program
The Fair Food Program is a partnership among farmers, farmworkers, and corporate buyers of produce that ensures humane wages and working conditions for farmworkers. Based on a unique model of collaboration, the Program has been recognized as one of the most effective human rights programs in the U.S. Harvard Business Review called the FFP “one of the most important social-impact stories of the past century,” while the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking called it “an international benchmark in the fight against modern-day slavery.” The FFP received a Presidential Medal in 2015, a James Beard Award in 2016, and a MacArthur “Genius” Award in 2017, among its many national and international recognitions.
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