Calling all members of the Fair Food Nation!
Farmworkers and allies will be gathering to celebrate the wellness of farmworker families on the weekend of September 27-28, right outside the headquarters of Kroger in Cincinnati, Ohio!
Where: Kroger Headquarters, 1014 Vine St, Cincinnato, Ohio
When: 10 AM – 5PM, Sept 27 – 28, 2024
CIW’s renowned puppet Esperanza is heading to Cincinnati – and she needs you to amplify farmworkers’ call for justice, both in Ohio and beyond.
CIW’s demonstration in Cincinnati will coincide with Kroger’s annual Wellness Festival, which will be underway just a few blocks away. According to Kroger, the Festival “celebrates physical, mental and emotional health for the whole family.”
And yet, even as Kroger touts its commitment to the health of your family, the grocery giant has been publicly linked to Operation “Blooming Onion” – one of the most horrifying, wide-reaching cases of forced labor in recent history: countless farmworkers held against their will, many subjected to terrible violence and brutal exploitation, two workers worked to death in the heat while another was held in sex slavery.
Sadly, this is not new for the grocery giant: The produce on Kroger’s shelves has been traced to not one, but to three separate forced labor rings in the last four years. It appears that when championing wellness for “the whole family,” Kroger does not yet include the men and women who harvest the fruits and vegetables it sells to you and your family.
Kroger’s resounding silence in the face of this human rights crisis in its supply chain is made all the more outrageous considering that it refuses to join the Fair Food Program a Presidential Medal-winning, worker-led human rights program with a proven track record in eradicating forced labor by empowering workers to be the frontline monitors of their own rights.
Today, we are calling on you to join Esperanza, farmworker leaders, and other conscious consumers for a real celebration at this year’s Wellness Festival by calling on Kroger to finally join the Fair Food Program, and do its part to usher in a new day of human rights for farmworkers everywhere!
Can’t make it out to our celebration? No problem! Here are 5 other ways you can contribute to farmworkers’ call for Kroger to join the Fair Food Program:
1. Call Kroger
Dial 1-800-576-4377
To speak with a service representative, press 8 then 3 after listening to the menu options. Once they are on the line, let them know that it’s time for Kroger to join the Fair Food Program! We have a suggested script here, which you can read to the representative.
2. Start a live chat with Kroger and copy/paste script
Click “Launch Live Chat” at https://www.kroger.com/hc/help/contact-us
You can skip the menu options by typing “speak to human” into the chat until the automated service connects you with an agent. You do not have to provide your name or email address. You can press “skip” on all options about which department and issue you wish to direct your chat. Kroger’s automated service will then connect you with a live agent. You may have to wait a few minutes before connecting with one, but keep the tab open and stay online! Once you are connected to someone, simply share the Fair Food Nation’s message into the chat! You can stay online to respond to the agent, or you can simply exit the tab.
3. Email Kroger
Send an email to customerservice@kroger.com with the suggested Title: “It’s time for Kroger to join the Fair Food Program” and include your message for the body of the email. We have a suggested script, which you can copy/paste into the body of the email.
You can also fill out this quick form, which will automatically email Kroger’s customer service and Kroger executives as well with the script.
4. Share our Instagram posts and tag Kroger! @krogerco
You can also comment on Kroger’s posts on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and LinkedIn demanding they join the Fair Food Program!
5. Deliver a letter to your local Kroger demanding they join the Fair Food Program
If you shop at, or live near, a Kroger store, you can print out the CIW’s letter and hand it to the manager of that store. Want a digital version? You can also request a copy to be mailed to you from us by emailing workers@ciw-online.org with the subject line “Requesting Kroger letter.” You can deliver it to any of the following locations: Kroger, Baker’s, City Market, Copps, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foods Co, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Gerbes, Harris Teeter, Jay C Food Store, King Soopers, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay-Less Super Markets, Pick ’n Save, Owen’s, QFC, Ralphs, Roundy’s, Ruler, and Smith’s Food and Drug.