A few weeks ago, the Fair Food Movement hit a major new milestone: the very first packaged food to bear the FFP label. We are honored to welcome Soupergirl, the plant-based soup and gazpacho company, into the Fair Food Program – and could not have asked for a more visionary partner. Here’s what company co-founder Sara Polon said in a blog post on the Soupergirl site earlier this month about the partnership:
When my mom and I founded Soupergirl in 2008, we had a vision of changing the world, one bowl of soup at a time. We preached endlessly about the need to know the “story of our food.” And we did indeed take huge efforts to source in a manner that we felt was responsible…
In May of 2021, my deep dive into our supply chain eventually led to a phone call with Lupe Gonzalo. Lupe is one of the leaders of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) in Florida. This extraordinary group, founded by farmworkers, has created a solution for the abuses in our agricultural system. She shared her story and the incredible founding story of the CIW..
In April of 2022, I had the unique opportunity to visit the CIW/FFP team in person. The experience was life-changing. While their work is incredibly challenging, they are incredibly optimistic and hopeful about the future. “The consumer,” they kept repeating. “The consumer has the power.”
I am proud that our company, Soupergirl, is the first consumer packaged goods firm to obtain a Fair Food certification, just for our tomato gazpacho line. Our certification is limited, for now, and must represent the beginning of something bigger. We hope that more companies like us join this incredible program, empowering it to expand to more crops, and us to buy more Fair Food for our soups.
Our allies and donors helped make this happen. How? By ensuring that we had the resources to sustain this partnership, which took a full year to develop behind the scenes. So much goes into ensuring that the Fair Food Program label really means something and isn’t just an empty promise.
Further, even the smallest donations make a difference. For example, the pool of support from Sustainers covered the costs for Lupe herself to be present at the launch event for the Soupergirl event – ensuring that farmworkers were present, visible, and in the lead for this historic moment.