Whole Foods buys food from NC farms where worker abuse is rampant, union says
Agriculture contributes billions to North Carolina’s economy.
The industry is comprised of close to 50,000 farms sitting on 8.1 million acres in the state — the most profitable of which are growing tobacco and sweet potatoes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
But the farms producing those crops are rife with human rights abuses, according to the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, which represents migrant workers in the Midwest and Southeast.
“FLOC members faced abusive working conditions, wage theft, threats, and violations of basic health and safety protocols in the tobacco and sweet potato fields of North Carolina, including on farms that supply Whole Foods,” the union said in a press release Thursday.
Now it is demanding a meeting with “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store.”
Whole Foods, a Texas-based supermarket chain, prides itself on being “the world’s leader in natural and organic foods” and is committed to sustainable agriculture.
But in 2019, FLOC said, the grocery store “made a set of commitments it has yet to fully follow through on.”
“As the 2020 planting season approaches in the U.S. South, farmworkers, NGO’s and labor unions representing workers in the Whole Foods distribution chain have come together to seek real engagement with Whole Foods,” the release states.
Whole Foods has refused to meet, according to the union.
Instead, FLOC, Oxfam and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters rallied outside its headquarters in Austin on Thursday. Oxfam describes itself as a charity focused on fighting poverty. The Teamsters say they are the largest labor union in the United States.
According to Oxfam, Whole Foods is the lowest-scoring supermarket on its “human rights scorecard.”
“Whole Foods claims to be a sustainable grocer, yet for over two years hasn’t addressed the human rights abuses of food workers and producers in its supply chain,” Sarah Zoen, senior advisor with Oxfam, said in a press release about the rally.
A Whole Foods spokesperson said the report is inaccurate, in a statement to McClatchy News.
“Oxfam and FLOC’s report from October 2019 does not accurately reflect Whole Foods Market’s long-standing efforts to address human rights and labor issues in our supply chain, including instituting programs like our Whole Trade Guarantee that ensure fair and safe working conditions for suppliers across the globe,” according to the statement.
Whole Foods’ website contains a list of quality standards suppliers are expected to meet.
That list includes its “Whole Trade Guarantee” — which are products given a seal for working to “ensure better wages and working conditions for workers.”
“We have a proven track record of taking immediate action with suppliers when potential concerns surface and remain committed to supply chain transparency and ethical sourcing, which are areas we continue to invest in,” Whole Foods said.
This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 2:02 PM.
