(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!
