<p>Walmart is announcing that, along with its Florida tomato suppliers, it has joined the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' (CIW) Fair Food Program (FFP), according to Business Wire. By joining the program, Walmart will strengthen and expand the existing program's impact on farmworkers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“Walmart and our suppliers are committed to strong ethical sourcing standards and every day we work to help ensure the products we sell are produced in a way that provides fair treatment for workers in our supply chain,” said Tom Leech, senior vice president of Global Food Sourcing for Walmart. “Our participation in the Fair Food Program combined with long term supply agreements with our suppliers will ensure that our customers get great products at great prices from suppliers that are working to improve the lives of their workers.“<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has been actively asking corporate grocery chains and restaurants to put pressure on growers to improve farmworker conditions over the past decade, according to Huffington Post. Current Fair Food Program participants include McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, Chipotle, Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's and Yum Brands.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"We are truly pleased to welcome Walmart into the Fair Food Program. No other company has the market strength and consumer reach that Walmart has," said Cruz Salucio of the CIW. "Through this collaboration, not only will thousands of hard-working farm workers see concrete improvements to their lives, but millions of consumers will learn about the Fair Food Program and of a better way to buy fruits and vegetables grown and harvested here in the US."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">According to the Fair Food Program website, program includes a wage increase which is funded by an additional "penny per pound" price premium paid for tomatoes by participating buyers. Also included are specific changes in harvesting operations to improve workers' wages and working conditions, as well as an ongoing auditing of the farms by the Fair Foods Standards Council to insure compliance with each element of the program.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The program has been recognized by the White House and the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The Working Group noted that the Fair Food Program is closely aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, endorsed by States at the UN Human Rights Council in 2011. “We are eager to see whether the Fair Food Program is able to leverage further change within participating businesses, and serve as a model elsewhere in the world,” said Alexandra Guáqueta, chair of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Walmart's support of this program shows a commitment to supporting the fair treatment of farmworkers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140116006518/en/Coalition-Immokalee-Workers-Announces-Walmart-Join-Groundbreaking#.UtmxefTTmc8" target="_new"> Business Wire </a><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/17/walmart-tomato-farmers_n_4617029.html?utm_hp_ref=business" target="_new"> Huffington Post </a><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://ciw-online.org/ffp_faq/" target="_new"> Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Fair Food Program </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
