Florida Tomato Growers Launch Social Accountability Program
On Oct. 7, 2009, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange rescinded its policy prohibiting members from participating in wage-supplementation programs or providing payroll or personnel data to third parties for the purpose of wage supplementation.
The elimination of the policy, along with customer negotiations, paved the way for a new social responsibility program that Exchange members are offering their customers. The program includes supplying tomatoes under a program of supplemental wages for workers and a code to guide employment practices.
The program is open to all retail and food-service customers of participating exchange growers, who represent about 75 percent of all fresh-market tomatoes grown in Florida. The participating growers agree to pass through to their employees funds earmarked by their customers as supplemental wages. The program also includes a new grower code of conduct designed to dovetail with their customer's own social responsibility programs.
Did you know?
- Florida was the first state in the country to adopt a comprehensive food safety program with mandatory government inspection and audits for tomato handling, production and packing. These Good Agricultural Practices and Best Management Practices were adopted as state regulations on July 1, 2008.
- Almost half of all the tomatoes consumed in the United States year-round come from Florida.
- During the six- to seven-month harvesting season, Florida's tomato growers employ more than 30,000 tomato workers.
- Agriculture, food manufacturing and natural resource industries in Florida directly create more than 400,000 full- and part-time jobs, with a total employment impact of more than 700,000 full-time and part-time jobs, according to a University of Florida study. The direct value-added contribution is estimated at $20.32 billion, with a total impact of $41.99 billion.
- The Florida Tomato Growers Exchange has donated millions of dollars to non-profit organizations that provide education and child-care services to families as well as college scholarships to the children of farmworkers.
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