[hupso_hide][hupso title=”@DelMonte joins #FairFoodProgram!” url=”https://ciw-online.org/blog/2014/04/del-monte”]

Fair Food Program, Florida tomato industry continue to grow… together.

From the national produce industry journal The Packer (“Del Monte inks deal with Coalition of Immokalee Workers,” 4/8/14):

Del Monte Fresh Produce NA Inc., is the latest Florida-based grower-shipper to strike a deal with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

In an April 8 news release, the Coral Gables, Fla.-based Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., announced one of its subsidiaries, Del Monte Fresh Production Inc., has agreed to the Immokalee, Fla.-based workers organization’s terms.

Del Monte joins the CIW and many of the largest U.S. retailers and restaurant chains that participate in the CIW’s Fair Food program, Paul Rice, Del Monte’s senior vice president of North America operations, said in the release.

“We are pleased to join the Fair Food program and continue our commitment to strong ethical sourcing standards which ensures that the products we sell are produced in a way that provides fair treatment for the workers in our supply chain,” Rice said in the release. “Our participation in the Fair Food Program demonstrates our commitment to improve the lives of the workers in our Florida fields and to the Florida tomato industry as a whole.” 

We are pleased to welcome Del Monte Fresh Produce to the Fair Food Program and look forward to working with them in the years ahead.  Del Monte Fresh Produce’s investment in the Florida tomato industry is a welcome development, reflecting a growing confidence in the future of Florida tomatoes, bringing thousands of new jobs and renewed economic energy to Florida, and providing clear evidence that the Fair Food Program is not just good for workers, but good for business, too.