Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]

August 20, 2026 at 2:18 PM

Fair Food Program’s new electrolyte rule makes national headlines

The Fair Food Program is “A Win-Win-Win for Farmworkers, Growers, Buyers.” Workers take a rest break under shade as part of the Fair Food Program Fast Company: The Fair Food Program is “A Win-Win-Win for Farmworkers, Growers, Buyers.”  FFSC Co-executive director Lilian Sepúlveda on NPR/PBS/WGCU: “Pr…

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August 12, 2026 at 2:25 PM

From “Ground Zero for Modern-day Slavery” to a world without victims: Help us scale the Fair Food Program

“(T)he gold standard for preventing worker abuse is the Fair Food Program” CIW signs an agreement with the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange (2010), leading to the creation of the Fair Food Program ProPublica: “(T)he gold standard for preventing worker abuse is the Fair Food Program”  Last week, we sh…

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August 5, 2026 at 4:16 PM

The next “Blooming Onion” could already be happening

Together, with the Fair Food Program, we can prevent the next slavery operation. A photo submitted to the court by federal prosecutors as evidence in the ongoing “Blooming Onion” prosecution shows a shrine to the Santa Muerte found in the home of Javier Sanchez Mendoza Jr., a farm labor contractor …

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July 15, 2026 at 2:12 PM

New protection against heat. New opportunity to grow Fair Food

Every summer, extreme heat threatens the lives and health of the people who harvest our food.A farmworker takes a break to drink water. FFP farms comply with mandatory heat stress protections that include the provision of water, electrolytes, rest breaks, training, and the ability to stop work and s…

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July 7, 2026 at 2:21 PM

Calling all Fair Food allies: support the global growth of the Fair Food Program!

Fair Food Nation! We’re kicking off our Summer Sustainer Drive!Fair Food Nation! We’re kicking off our Summer Sustainer Drive! For the next month, we’ll be spotlighting what makes the Fair Food Program (FFP) so extraordinarily effective, taking a look back at our achievements, and charting out the p…

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June 16, 2026 at 2:30 PM

UPDATE: After DOL links Kroger to yet another forced labor case, will the grocery giant ever learn the Power of Prevention?

“The victims in this case were deceived by conspirators and subjected to deplorable conditions while being exploited for greed and profit.” A barbed wire fence surrounds the forced labor camp in Pahokee, FL, where two workers escaped hidden in the trunk of a car, their escape ultimately leading to t…

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May 29, 2026 at 2:26 PM

Kroger and Publix offer only silence in the face of forced labor allegations

"Neither Kroger nor Publix provided a response." Business and Human Rights Resource Centre: “The Centre invited the companies to respond to allegations of abuse at a reported supplier, to disclose what due diligence it has undertaken regarding the supplier, and any steps it has already, or plans to …

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May 14, 2026 at 2:32 PM

Fair Food Program’s transformative health impact featured in the news

Naples Daily News: “What began as a fight against exploitation in Immokalee’s farm fields may now be improving the health of the next generation.” Presbyterian Hunger Program National Hunger Associate Andrew Kang Bartlett: “This groundbreaking study is a powerful affirmation that dignity at work is …

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May 6, 2026 at 2:47 PM

Fair Food holdouts Kroger, Publix linked to alleged labor trafficking operation in North Carolina

Lawsuit alleges extreme abuse, yet again, on fields beyond the Fair Food Program’s Presidential Medal-winning protections; Farmworkers and allies march through Palm Beach in 2023 celebrating the Fair Food Program and calling attention to extreme human rights abuse that continues to occur outside the…

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April 24, 2026 at 5:35 PM

Produce industry journal The Packer heralds the health benefits of the Fair Food Program

"Their health, in terms of gestational diabetes and hypertension, [is] improving.” A farmworker takes a break to drink water. Fair Food Program farms comply with mandatory heat stress protections that include the provision of water, electrolytes, rest breaks, training, and the ability to stop work a…

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April 20, 2026 at 2:20 PM

Senator Cory Booker pens letter urging Yale University join Fair Food Program

"Yale is in a unique position to extend the same leadership it demonstrates in scholarship and social responsibility..." Sen. Cory Booker, Yale Law: “As a proud alumnus of Yale Law School (Class of 1997) and a longtime advocate for a healthier and more equitable food system, I write to urge Yale Hos…

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April 15, 2026 at 2:15 PM

How the lived experience of farmworkers shaped the Fair Food Program

"In many ways, the coalition was built to change a culture of privilege..."The CIW’s Nely Rodriguez (left) leads an on-the-clock, worker-to-worker education session as part of the Fair Food Program Christian Science Monitor on the Coalition of Immokalee Workers: “In many ways, the coalition was buil…

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April 8, 2026 at 2:15 PM

Yale University students rally with the CIW, hand-deliver petition calling on university to join the FFP

“Students don’t want abuses in the supply chain that serves Yale’s dining halls..." CIW co-founder Lucas Benitez (second from the right) holds a sign reading “Yale: Fair Food Now!” and marches alongside Yale University students demanding the university join the Fair Food Program Andrew Storino, Yale…

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March 30, 2026 at 4:13 PM

Reflecting on power and abuse, and the need to expand the Fair Food Program

Because we are committed to a world free from violence and exploitation, we stand firmly with survivors and against all forms of abuse — whoever the perpetrator may be. Last week, The New York Times published a devastating investigative report detailing many deeply disturbing accounts of sexual ab…

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March 11, 2026 at 2:18 PM

New global supply chain survey sounds alarm on increasing risk of forced labor, highlights need for worker-centered monitoring

“Walmart is a member of the Fair Food Program, a programme which covers farmworkers in the USA who are paid a premium to ensure a living wage.” Farmworkers and allies march from Pahokee, Florida, the site of a modern-day slavery case recently uncovered by the CIW, to Palm Beach in 2023, celebrating …

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March 5, 2026 at 3:14 PM

Landmark medical study finds farmworker mothers employed on Fair Food Program farms give birth to healthier babies — including a 10% reduction in low-birth-weight births

"Because of the Fair Food Program, we started to see better wages, and it changed our lives — for me and for my children.”CIW staff member Lupe Gonzalo provides an on-the-clock, worker-to-worker education session at Tuxedo Corn, CO. New health study on the Fair Food Program: “Using restricted birth …

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February 24, 2026 at 3:43 PM

A proven model enters a new industry: Florida plant nursery workers make case for Worker-driven Social Responsibility to end longstanding abuses

WeCount! members marching alongside the CIW and allies during the CIW’s March to End Modern Slavery in the Fields in 2022 As WeCount! released a major new report exposing labor abuses in the plant nursery industry, the South Florida-based worker organization took the next step — announcing a collabo…

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February 17, 2026 at 5:16 PM

Bring Fair Food to your campus!

Calling all students, faculty, and staff of universities across the US!   Do you want to stand with farmworkers in their fight for justice in the food industry, but aren't sure how? Do you care deeply about human rights and dignity for all workers, and are looking for a way to make your voice heard…

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February 9, 2026 at 3:13 PM

CIW visits University of Michigan as national interest surges for universities to join the FFP

"With this alliance between workers and students, it’s attainable and real..." Cruz Salucio (right), CIW senior staff member and farmworker, discusses the transformative success and expansion of the Fair Food Program in a class with students from the University of Michigan 2019 University of Michiga…

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January 27, 2026 at 3:25 PM

Yale students document food purchases from massive grower linked to farm labor abuse; Yale Hospitality confirms purchases, yet remains opposed to joining the Fair Food Program

"By bragging about their FFP produce, Hospitality is proving our point: they understand that the FFP protects human rights..." A pallet of produce, including Mastronardi cucumbers (located on the top right with Mastronardi’s Sunset Grown label), sits on Yale’s campus late last year. Mastronardi has …

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January 22, 2026 at 3:46 PM

New book explores how the CIW and Fair Food Program have become a global inspiration

"The Fair Food Program and the CIW have provided fertile ground for both preventing and addressing sexual violence in the workplace...” Will Work for Food: “With a combination of education, monitoring, and enforcement, the Fair Food Program and the CIW have provided fertile ground for both preventin…

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January 13, 2026 at 3:18 PM

Preventable atrocities uncovered in India’s sugar industry underscore urgent need for WSR

"ISWA urgently calls on the global brands that purchase Indian sugar to engage with workers and collaborate..." Sugarcane workers in the fields in India Indian Sugar Workers Association (ISWA) release: “To remedy – and ultimately prevent – this outrageous exploitation, ISWA urgently calls on the gl…

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December 30, 2025 at 3:53 PM

Your donation today will help the Fair Food Program shine for all the world to see in 2026

As part of the FFP’s on-the-clock, worker-to-worker education, a CIW staff member and two volunteers display a new Fair Food Program education drawing, depicting a supervisor scolding a worker for speaking up on the job.Dear Fair Food Allies, As the year-end giving season comes to a close, we cann…

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December 23, 2025 at 3:37 PM

From the mouths of babes: Children’s letters to the CIW, farmworkers too good not to share this holiday season!

As the year comes to a close, we want to share something with the rest of the Fair Food community that has deeply moved all of us here in Immokalee.  Students from All Saints Catholic School recently took the time and care to write personal letters to farmworkers — messages of gratitude, encouragem…

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December 17, 2025 at 3:25 PM

New ProPublica Feature Article: How the Fair Food Program benefits workers and growers alike

"We knew there were problems. We wanted them fixed.” Lucas Benitez with John Esformes, CEO of Pacific Tomato Growers DBA Sunripe Certified Brands as the CIW and Pacific agree to join forces to launch Fair Food Program in 2010 ProPublica on the Fair Food Program: “…The Fair Food Program’s protections…

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December 9, 2025 at 4:17 PM

As Immokalee’s only major grocery store closes its doors, prices are expected to rise. You can help the CIW respond today!

The newly expanded CIW food cooperative is seeing a jump in sales as the Immokalee community adjusts to life without a large chain grocery store serving the town's 25,000 residents. In late October, the Winn-Dixie in Immokalee closed its doors. Its replacement may take six months  — or longer — to…

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December 2, 2025 at 4:47 PM

Kick off the holiday season of giving with a gift for farmworkers’ rights!

Today, on Giving Tuesday, we launch our end-of-year campaign... Today, on Giving Tuesday, we launch our end-of-year campaign — a moment to honor all who have stood with Immokalee’s farmworker community over the years, and to reflect on the challenges ahead as we redouble our efforts to expand the g…

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November 26, 2025 at 7:10 PM

2025: A Tale of Two Thanksgivings

This Thanksgiving, give thanks for human rights in the fields by becoming a Fair Food Sustainer! This Thanksgiving, you can help sustain the groundbreaking advances we’ve achieved through the Fair Food Program, and give thanks for the women and men who put food on your Thanksgiving table, by becom…

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November 20, 2025 at 4:36 PM

Lucas Benitez, CIW Co-Founder, Turns 50, as CIW Turns 30!

"Truly, without you, I would not be writing these lines..." Lucas Benitez, third from left (in black shirt), speaks with then US Representative Porter Goss following a public debate in Immokalee between members of the farmworker community and Rep. Goss on the need to raise the federal minimum wage …

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November 12, 2025 at 5:08 PM

Fair Food Program adaptation in India gains steam as sugarcane workers nationwide gather to discuss WSR

"By coming together, sugar workers break the silence around long-standing abuses and begin to build the trust..." Sugarcane workers hold a community meeting as part of an orientation program before the harvest season begins in Uttar Pradesh, organized by the India Sugar Workers’ Association (ISWA),…

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November 10, 2025 at 3:20 PM

Yale students, in urgent op-ed, call on university to join the Fair Food Program

“It is unacceptable that Yale backs away from fair and humane conditions in its supply chain when a program exists which can guarantee them.” As part of the FFP’s on-the-farm,  on-the-clock, worker-to-worker education, the CIW’s Nely Rodriguez (right) and two volunteers display a Fair Food Program e…

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October 20, 2025 at 4:20 PM

We’d love to hear from you!

Dear John,   As a valued supporter of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Fair Food Program, you play an essential role in advancing our mission. As we head into a new season, we’re taking time to reflect. We’d love your perspective as part of that reflection! Your support has gotten us this…

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October 8, 2025 at 2:24 PM

A look inside the Fair Food Program in South Africa

“Every country is different, but human rights must be implemented equally..." Human rights investigators and educators with the Fair Food Program in South Africa pose for a group photo with the South Africa edition of the FFP’s Know Your Rights and Responsibilities booklet, given to workers during …

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September 30, 2025 at 3:18 PM

An update on Marco Guevara and his family…

Thanks to the generosity of nearly 500 donors, we have already raised over $26,000. Marco Antonio Hernandez Guevara, along with his wife Reyna and their three daughters, celebrating his youngest daughter’s third birthday We want to quickly take a moment to thank everyone who has so generously suppor…

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September 23, 2025 at 2:27 PM

Bombshell ProPublica investigation reveals horrifying new details on ‘Operation Blooming Onion’ — largest ever modern-slavery case, uncovered by CIW — highlights Fair Food Program as only proven solution

“The USDA called [Blooming Onion] the biggest sting operation of labor trafficking in U.S. history.” A photo submitted to the court by federal prosecutors as evidence in the ongoing “Blooming Onion” prosecution shows a shrine to Santa Muerte found in the home of Javier Sanchez Mendoza Jr., a farm l…

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August 27, 2025 at 2:36 PM

Marco Guevara, farmworker and beloved husband, father of three, has passed away after hospitalization with heatstroke

“Marco Antonio Hernández Guevara should not have died..." La Jornada: “Marco Antonio Hernández Guevara should not have died. The farmworker, like so many others, came to the United States to work in the fields of Florida and support his wife and three daughters in Mexico. He will now return to his c…

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August 20, 2025 at 8:12 PM

Immokalee farmworker hospitalized, on life support after suffering heat stroke during sweltering summer

You can help: GoFundMe effort launched by Immokalee area pastor... Marco Guevara, proud father of 3 and husband, succumbs to heat on Immokalee area farm, lies fighting for his life in Naples hospital  Mr. Guevara’s employer, JAM Farmers, is not part of Fair Food Program and its life-saving heat prot…

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August 12, 2025 at 2:10 PM

2024 FFP “State of the Program” Report — Part 3: Understanding the FFP's unique market-based enforcement model

“More important than the money, which I need, was the feeling of dignity when my labor – the buckets I harvested – was recognized.” Farmworker on an FFP participating farm: “More important than the money, which I need, was the feeling of dignity when my labor – the buckets I harvested – was recogniz…

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July 31, 2025 at 2:49 PM

2024 FFP “State of the Program” Report — Part 2: Measuring the Fair Food difference in the fields

In part 2 of our series on the release of the 2024 Fair Food Program State of the Program report, we’re going to focus on what truly sets the FFP apart in agriculture: Results. Concrete results. Workers take a rest break under shade on a Fair Food Program participating farm Fair Food Program reach…

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July 23, 2025 at 5:29 PM

RELEASED: 2024 FFP “State of the Program” Report — Part 1: How a human rights program, born in Immokalee, went global

“There is a huge difference now since we have started [participating in the FFP] this season, the conditions here are really improving..." State of the Program report: “Now, fourteen years since its inception, the FFP has entered into a phase of truly dramatic expansion: During 2024 and 2025, the Pr…

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July 10, 2025 at 2:02 PM

Civil Eats’ feature article on Fair Food Program’s heat protections wins coveted James Beard Award!

“I encourage everyone here who procures food to check out the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Fair Food Program..." Grey Moran, in acceptance speech for James Beard Award: “I encourage everyone here who procures food to check out the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Fair Food Program. As a journalist…

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July 3, 2025 at 1:57 PM

WSR in India: High court sides with sugar industry workers calling for sweeping changes, real human rights protections

"[L]abor leaders are also pressuring multinational companies to join a labor-standards program modeled after the Fair Food Program..." India Sugar Industry Workers Association: “This is a historic moment, a historic opportunity where the court has pushed to make substantial changes…”  The New York T…

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June 26, 2025 at 2:12 PM

Worker-driven solutions are catching on around the world. Here’s how you can help spread the word!

Representatives from women’s organizations and unions based in Lesotho in Southern Africa gather for a photo with representatives of the CIW, the Fair Food Standards Council, Workers Rights Consortium, and the Solidarity Center in Immokalee following a two-day exchange to study the Worker-driven So…

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June 17, 2025 at 2:07 PM

A tale of two worlds: The world inside the FFP’s award-winning human rights protections, and the world outside

Farmworkers marching from the farming community of Pahokee, Florida, to the billionaire enclave of Palm Beach carry a papier-mâché model of the parallel worlds of agriculture: the bright, hopeful world illuminated by the Fair Food Program and the dark, violent world beyond its protections.John, it'…

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June 10, 2025 at 2:17 PM

How the Fair Food Program guarantees unparalleled protections for farmworkers

John, during week two of the Fair Food Program Sustainer Drive, we take a look under the hood of the FFP to see how all the moving parts—including the CIW’s consumer allies and Sustainers like you—work together to set the “new gold standard” for enforcing fundamental human rights in global supply ch…

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June 4, 2025 at 2:11 PM

Why You Should Become a Fair Food Sustainer

Fair Food Nation! We’re kicking off our June Sustainer Drive! Join us, John! Fair Food Nation! We’re kicking off our June Sustainer Drive! All month long, we’ll be spotlighting what makes the Fair Food Program (FFP) so uniquely effective, taking a look back at our achievements, and acknowledging the…

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May 30, 2025 at 5:56 PM

CIW spoke at Yale Architecture last month and we have the highlights (video)

Yale University’s School of Architecture holds powerful conference on forced labor in the “built environment..."Yale University’s School of Architecture holds powerful conference on forced labor in the “built environment” and invited the Fair Food Program to share its insights from the Worker-driven…

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May 20, 2025 at 1:50 PM

VIRTUAL ACTION ALERT: 5 ways to demand Wendy's join the Fair Food Program!

Fair Food Nation, today is the day to demand Wendy's finally do the right thing... Fair Food Nation, today is the day to demand Wendy’s finally do the right thing to protect farmworkers and join the Presidential Medal-winning Fair Food Program!   In tomorrow’s annual general meeting, Wendy’s shareh…

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May 15, 2025 at 2:48 PM

SAVE THE DATE: MAY 20! Demand Wendy’s join the Fair Food Program

Mark your calendars to contact Wendy’s next Tuesday, May 20th! Calling all members of the Fair Food Nation: Mark your calendars to contact Wendy’s next Tuesday, May 20th! Demand justice for farmworkers by calling, emailing, or delivering a printed letter to Wendy’s urging the fast-food giant join t…

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May 7, 2025 at 3:19 PM

Longtime CIW ally, friend Kerry Kennedy awarded the prestigious Oscar Romero Human Rights Award

“I march with Coalition of Immokalee Workers to demand dignity and respect for farmworkers." Kerry Kennedy, President of RFK Human Rights: “This recognition is a personal honor and a reminder that the pursuit of human rights demands boldness, compassion and an unshakable commitment to justice.”  Ke…

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