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Stand with farmworkers on September 27 for a virtual action to demand Kroger join the Fair Food Program!
Action alert! Calling on all members of the Fair Food Nation!
On September 27, 2022, the notorious crewleader of Los Villatoros’ harvesting company, Bladimir Moreno, pleaded guilty to the federal charge of conspiracy to commit forced labor. Under Moreno, hundreds of workers were held in forced labor, compelled to harvest watermelon as well as other fruits and vegetables that ended up on our kitchen tables.
In a shocking revelation, the US Department of Labor [[link removed]] named the supermarkets that profited from this abuse – and at the top of that list was Kroger, one of the country’s largest supermarkets, which is in the process of trying to become even bigger [[link removed]] … And horrifyingly, this isn’t even the first time [[link removed]] Kroger’s supply chain was found to be tainted by forced labor.
Marking the one year anniversary of the U.S. vs Moreno case – and a year of total silence from Kroger – we are calling on everyone in the Fair Food Nation to stand up and demand Kroger ensure the dignity and safety of farmworkers in its supply chain by joining the Fair Food Program.
Moreno and his associates may be behind bars, but we all know that true north in the movement against modern slavery is not only about supporting survivors seeking justice – but uprooting and preventing abuse altogether in our food system.
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(Pictured above: a barbed wire fence in front of the forced labor camp in Pahokee, FL that two workers escaped from in the trunk of a car in US v Moreno.)
With the support of thousands of allies in Florida, CIW has already sounded the alarm about conditions in Kroger’s supply chain. To stand up for the rights of the survivors of US vs Moreno, and to champion the proven solution in the Fair Food Program, farmworkers and allies marched shoulder-to-shoulder over 50 miles in 5 days, starting outside that very same forced labor camp from which workers first escaped in the Moreno case in order to highlight the urgency of Kroger’s human rights problem and urge its corporate leadership to join the FFP.
With over a decade of unparalleled success at safeguarding the human rights of farmworkers, the Presidential Medal-winning Fair Food Program is the only proven solution to preventing forced labor in agriculture. When it comes to guaranteeing human rights for workers in its supply chain, Kroger lags behind its major competitors including Walmart, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods who have all signed agreements with the Fair Food Program.
At every step, Kroger has remained steadfast in its silence.
That is why we are asking for all supporters of farmworkers’ human rights to reach out to Kroger on September 27, and let them know that their customer base is deeply concerned about the human rights crisis in its supply chain, and that it is high-time for them to do what is right.
We cannot allow Kroger to continue to simply be silent: we must let them know they cannot turn a blind eye to the catastrophes in its supply chain.
Don’t think Kroger is in your area? Look again… Your local grocery store may be owned by Kroger, since the corporate behemoth owns and operates 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–all in addition to Kroger grocery stories.
Together, we can ensure that Kroger hears our calls for justice in the fields.
Stay tuned for more details, including the script you can use to call, email, and chat with Kroger–as well as a letter you can deliver to the manager of your local Kroger!
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Coalition of Immokalee Workers
110 S 2nd St
Immokalee, FL 34142
United States
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