Denver Fair Food wastes no time in making the pivot...

Ask not for whom the bell tolls in Denver, King Soopers (aka Kroger), it tolls for you!

(Note: see below for exclusive pictures from the action in Denver. -Denver Fair Food) 

 

All is decidedly not quiet on the western front in the fight for food justice!

 

Just days after last week's big announcement that the CIW had reached a Fair Food agreement with Chipotle, the incredible crew at Denver Fair Food is back in the street, taking its message to local grocery giant King Soopers (one of two brands in the Rocky Mountain region owned by Kroger, the other being City Market).

 

From the examiner.com ("Chipotle signs Fair Food Agreement, is Kroger next?", 10/9/12):

"Protests for Chipotle’s Cultivate festival at City Park in Denver were cancelled due to Chipotle’s recent alliance with the CIW. Instead, on Saturday October 7, 2012, The CIW and protesters gathered outside of the King Soopers on 9th and Corona to ask Kroger (King Soopers parent company) to follow Chipotle and become the 12th corporation along with McDonald’s, Burger King, and Whole Foods to sign the Fair Food Agreement. Oscar Otzoy and Gerardo Reyes from the CIW along with members from the Student Farmworker Alliance, Denver Fair Food, and Reverend Mary from Columbine Unitarian Universalist Church reported that they delivered a letter to the manager of King Soopers asking them to join the FFP."

 

Robert McGoey, a longtime stalwart of the Campaign for Fair Food in Denver, spoke about the significance of the agreement with Chipotle and the next chapter in the campaign for Denver Fair Food:

"(The Chipotle agreement) is a reminder that grassroots organizing between conscientious consumers and farmworkers has the power to shape our food system for the better. We... can take an active role in creating the world we want to see. "Now it is time for the country's massive supermarket chains to join the Fair Food Program. Here in Denver we'll be calling on Kroger, the nation's largest supermarket chain and owner of the local King Soopers brand, to join." read more

 

If what's past is indeed prologue, the time has come for King Soopers to stop stalling and join the Fair Food Program! There will undoubtedly be much more to come from Denver Fair Food, so we, for one, will be keeping an eye turned to the west in the weeks and months ahead.

And with that we will give the final word of this update to the fine people of Denver, Colorado, graphic style:

___________________________

Exclusive Photos:

 

Denver allies marched from Cheesman Park to King Soopers...

to tell the grocer: Time's Up! Join the Fair Food Program!

A delegation from the CIW and Denver community delivered a giant letter to King Soopers manager.

Afterward we had a brief rally across the street knowing that a New Day is dawning! 

Denver, We Did It! Chipotle signs agreement with CIW to join Fair Food Program!

Denver, we did it! After many long years of struggle and the participation of so, so many people from Denver in ways both large and small, Chipotle Mexican Grill has finally signed a Fair Food Agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers! There is so much more to say, so much gratitude to express, so much pride, so much celebration!

For now though, Check out this announcement from the CIW.

While there will not be a march this Saturday at the Cultivate Festival, plans are in the works to instead hold a protest at King Soopers, part of the massive Kroger supermarket chain and another target of the CIW's Campaign for Fair Food.

And there will also be a celebration Saturday night!

Stayed tuned for updates. Thank you everyone! -Denver Fair Food

 

From left to right, the CIW's Oscar Otzoy, Chipotle's Chris Arnold, and the CIW's Gerardo Reyes, joined in the background by student and faith allies, at today's signing ceremony at Chipotle's Denver headquarters.

From the joint press release:

(Note: With the signing of today's agreement, all plans for this weekend's
action in Denver are CANCELLED)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Chris Arnold Chipotle Mexican Grill 303.222.5912 carnold@chipotle.com Gerardo Reyes Coalition of Immokalee Workers 239-657-8311 gerardo@ciw-online.org   CHIPOTLE SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH CIW TO JOIN FAIR FOOD PROGRAM   DENVER, October 4, 2012 – Chipotle Mexican Grill and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a farmworker-based human rights organization, have reached an agreement that brings Chipotle’s commitment to sustainable food to the CIW’s Fair Food Program. The agreement, which will improve wages and working conditions for farmworkers in Florida who pick tomatoes for Chipotle, comes in advance of the winter tomato-growing season, when most of the nation’s tomatoes come from growers in Florida. The Fair Food Program provides a bonus for tomato pickers to improve wages and binds growers to protocols and a code of conduct that explicitly include a voice for workers in health and safety issues, worker-to-worker education on the new protections under the code, and a complaint resolution procedure which workers can use without fear of retaliation. The Program also provides for independent third party audits to ensure compliance. “With this agreement, we are laying down a foundation upon which we all – workers, growers, and Chipotle – can build a stronger Florida tomato industry for the future,” said Gerardo Reyes of the CIW. “But more than this, today’s news marks a turning point in the sustainable food movement as a whole, whereby, thanks to Chipotle’s leadership, farmworkers are finally recognized as true partners -- every bit as vital as farmers, chefs, and restaurants -- in bringing ‘good food’ to our tables.” “Chipotle has an unmatched track record driving positive change in the nation's food supply and is continuously working to find better, more sustainable sources for all of the ingredients we use — sources that produce food in ways that demonstrate respect for the land, farm animals, and the people involved,” said Chris Arnold, communications director at Chipotle. “We believe that this agreement underscores our long-standing commitment to the people who produce the food we serve in our restaurants.” Chipotle becomes the 11th company to join the CIW’s Fair Food Program, which is designed to create a sustainable tomato industry through respect for the rights and concerns of all involved. The Fair Food Premium paid by participating buyers like Chipotle is used to help participating growers improve wages and working conditions for Florida farmworkers. ****************** About Chipotle Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food from using ingredients that are not only fresh, but that—where possible—are sustainably grown and naturally raised with respect for the animals, the land, and the farmers who produce the food. A similarly focused people culture, with an emphasis on identifying and empowering top performing employees, enables us to develop future leaders from within. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant in 1993 and currently operates more than 1,300 restaurants. For more information, visit Chipotle.com. About CIW The CIW (www.ciw-online.org) is a community-based farmworker organization headquartered in Immokalee, Florida, with over 4,000 members. The CIW seeks modern working conditions for farmworkers and promotes their fair treatment in accordance with national and international human rights standards. The CIW’s Campaign for Fair Food has won unprecedented support for fundamental farm labor reforms, through the Fair Food Program, from retail food industry leaders. The Fair Food Program taps the unique powers of all the elements of our country's food industry: of consumers, to demand the highest ethical standards for food production; of food retailers, to use their tremendous buying power both to demand higher labor standards of their suppliers and help raise farmworkers out of poverty through a price that supports sustainable production; of growers, to continuously improve their operations and meet consumer demand, keeping pace with an evolving marketplace, and, of farmworkers, to help expose and fix the worst abuses and apply their unique knowledge toward modernizing, and humanizing, our farm labor system.

Again, with this agreement, all plans for this weekend's action in Denver are CANCELLED.

There will be much more on this developing story in the days ahead, so check back again soon!

Cultivating Justice, Transparency, Partnership! Join CIW and allies October 6!

Things are heating up for Chipotle!

Join CIW and Allies in Demanding Rights and Dignity for Farmworkers at Upcoming Denver "Cultivate" Festival

 

When: Saturday, October 6th, 10am-4pm and 4:00pm procession and vigil

 

What: Chipotle's "Cultivate Festival" - a celebration of the company's self-proclaimed promise to serving "food with integrity" - lacks a major ingredient: a commitment to the farmworkers who harvest tomatoes sold in their stores. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has asked Chipotle for six years to join their acclaimed Fair Food Program, but while the corporation advertises its humane treatment of animals, it has thus far neglected to uphold basic standards for farmworkers.

 

Join us in calling on Chipotle to live up to their ethical image by joining the CIW's Fair Food Program -- because a vision of "food with integrity" that excludes farmworkers has no integrity at all.
 

10:00am - 4:00pm: Join us for a series of creative actions, street theater, tomato bucket installation, costumed flyering and more! (For a full schedule and to get involved email jake@justhavestusa.org)

Where: City Park (East of Ferril Lake; see red star on map below)

4:00pm: A march around the festival perimeter, stopping at each festival entrance to ask for entry, followed by a vigil

Where: Gather for march in front of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (Colorado Blvd & E. Montview Blvd; see orange "M" on map below). If you are unable to march, join us for the vigil east of Ferril Lake (at the red star on map).
 

Website: Cultivating - Justice - Transparency - Partnership

Please share: Facebook Event

 

 

 

Background: Following ten major victories, including the recent agreement with Trader Joe's, the CIW has developed the Fair Food Program - an historic partnership between farmworkers, tomato growers, and retail corporations. Through their commitment to the Program, these corporations are paying a penny-per-pound premium to lift farmworker wages and have committed to buying only from growers who meet a strict set of labor standards.

 

Yet, despite its claim to be the fast-food leader in social accountability, Chipotle has for years refused to sign a Fair Food Agreement and thus and is under no obiligation to stop buying tomatoes from growers where workers' rights are violated.

 

Further Information:

Chipotle's Top Ten Falsehoods, Fibs and Fabrications about the Campaign for Fair Food

Just Harvest USA: Chipotle Campaign

Coalition of Immokalee Workers

 

 

 

Momentum building in Denver for Fair Food and Farmworker Justice at "Cultivate Festival"

The weather may cooling, the Campaign for Fair Food is heating up in Denver!  Momentum is growing as Denver allies and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers make plans to bring creative actions to the Oct. 6 Chipotle "Cultivate Festival", calling on the chain to finally sign a Fair Food Agreement with the CIW.

Here's a few of the exciting happenings:

1. Oscar Otzoy of the CIW is in Denver through October 6 connecting with community members and animating them to get involved in the Oct. 6 actions. If you'd like to invite Oscar to make an announcement or do a workshop about the CIW's 20-year struggle for justice in the tomato fields of Florida with your community organization, faith group, union, or classroom contact DenverFairFood@gmail.com.   

2. On Saturday Sept. 15, Chipotle brought the "Cultivate Festival" to Chicago's Lincoln Park. While Chipotle celebrated inside the gated festival, the CIW and allies set up on a neighboring field to both remind Chipotle and educate festival attendees that the restaurant chain has chosen to ignore farmworkers rather than recognize and respect their vital contribution to the food system by joining the Fair Food Program. For a small hint of the exciting actions being planned for Denver, see the photo report from Chicago here. 

3. If you're interested in learning more about the Campaign for Fair Food and the actions planned for Oct. 6, one opportunity will be this Thursday at the Occupy Denver Teach-In:

The Fight for Fair Food

Thursday, September 27, 5:30-6:45pm

at Deer Pile Space above City O’ City at 206 E. 13th Ave.

see here for more information.

We hope to see you all soon!

Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 26, 6pm at AFSC (901 W. 14th Ave, rm 7; first floor of Court House Square Apartments)

Philly turning up the heat on Chipotle

"Fair Food Fridays" wrap up in Philly, but pressure won't let up in the fall; Rabbis for Human Rights - North America says "Now the focus is on Chipotle"!

With Chipotle's "Cultivate" Festival -- and the CIW's alternative Fair Food Festival -- now just two weeks away, and with the advance team of CIW members and allies already in place laying the groundwork for what should be an exciting event in the Windy City, the pressure is picking up on the self-styled "Food with Integrity" leader throughout the Fair Food nation.

In Philadelphia, where the dogged members of Philly Fair Food have held weekly lunch hour protests at local Chipotle restaurants throughout the summer (a little thing they liked to call "Fair Food Fridays"), the summer series of protests wrapped up with a lively picket (above) and manager delegation yesterday. Here's how they framed their Friday protest campaign:

"Conscientious consumers across the United States are calling on Chipotle to honor the rights of farmworkers who pick the tomatoes that go into Chipotle burritos. Here in Philly, we plan to send a powerful message to the company. During each Friday lunch rush, we will picket one of the busiest Chipotle locations in the city. We will talk with customers about the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' “Fair Food Program” and make sure they know about Chipotle’s refusal to participate. We’ll ask customers to sign and deliver a letter to the restaurant manager that asks the company to live up to its ethical image by joining the program." read more

This unrelenting campaign of protests led by students, parents, faith leaders and burrito-lovers resulted in the delivery of over 100 manager letters by disillusioned Chipotle patrons. Week after week, the group returned to convey their message: "Food with Integrity" that dismisses worker participation, lacks transparency and rejects commitment to verifiable enforcement actually has no integrity at all. 

Now that the summer's over and Fair Food Fridays are a wrap, are the Philly Fair Food lovers turning down the heat on Chipotle? Hardly! Here's the message after Friday's protest on their facebook page:

"Center City Chipotle, we'll be back to see you soon. Next up, University City!"

Meanwhile, another great CIW partner, the Rabbis for Human Rights -- North America, is leading the Jewish community across the country in the fight against modern-day slavery, and a key arrow in their quiver is their support for the Campaign for Fair Food. RHR-NA played a leading role in the Trader Joe's campaign, and now, in an interview with RHR-NA Director Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster, it is clear that they will be turning their considerable clout on Chipotle:

"This change in the lives of the Florida farm workers reflects the growing success of the CIW campaign, which has support from a broad coalition of human rights, labor, and religious groups such as RHR. 

The core of the campaign is to pressure the large customers of the tomato growers to buy only from suppliers who treat their workers properly. 

“The first victory was Taco Bell. Then a bunch of other fast food chains followed: Burger King, McDonald’s, Subway. Whole Foods signed on, and then Trader Joe’s last winter,” Kahn-Troster said [Rabbi Kahn-Troster is pictured above, rear, with her daughter in the foreground, holding the "Do Your Part" sign, at a recent Stop & Shop protest]... 

... Now, the focus is on the Chipotle restaurant chain. Kahn-Troster said that some tomato purchasers say that they agree with the code of conduct; nonetheless, they haven’t signed the agreement. 

“The problem for us as consumers is that if there’s not a legally binding agreement, they could change it tomorrow. If a grower was found to be using forced labor they would be suspended from the program, and Whole Foods and McDonald’s could no longer buy from them” but buyers who had not signed could do so. 

“That’s a big challenge now,” Kahn-Troster said.

But not too big a challenge the RHR-NA, or the Campaign for Fair Food! Check back soon for more news from Chicago as the advance team meets with student, faith, and community allies ahead of the big Cultivate Festival action this Sept. 15.

Community Meeting: No Chipocrisy in our 'hood!

Planning creative community/farmworker actions for the Denver Chipotle festival

Chipotle still refuses to sign a Fair Food Agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers which would uphold human rights standards,fair wages and a voice for farmworkers who pick Chipotle's tomatoes.  Without signing a Fair Food Agreement, there is no transparency, worker participation, or, most of all, binding commitment to farmworker rights on Chipotle's part.

We want your help to plan creative actions at an upcoming festival being staged by Chipotle in Denver! Join us for a community planning meeting on:

Thursday, September 6, 6:30-8:30

at the American Friends Service Committee office

901 W. 14th Ave, rm #7

(14th and Kalamath; first floor of the Court House SquareApartments)
[map]

Members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers will come to Denver in the weeks prior to the Oct. 6 festival to educate the Denver community about their struggle and animate people to get involved.  We need your assistance to set up educational opportunities, plan actions and show the CIW that Denver stands with them.

Background:

On SaturdayOctober 6th, Chipotle Mexican Grill will hold its "Cultivate Festival" in City Park. The day-long festival --"bringing together food, farmers, chefs, artisans, thought leaders, and musicians" -- is a celebration of Chipotle's self-proclaimed commitment to"food with integrity." The Cultivate festivals are part of a concerted marketing effort by Chipotle to distance itself from the image of a traditional fast-food company and to woo the country's growing "Good Food" movement.

Despite Chipotle's claim to be the fast-food leader in social accountability, the Denver-based restaurant chain has for many years now refused to sign a Fair Food Agreement,an agreement four other leading fast-food companies signed long ago. By signing a Fair Food Agreement, Chipotle would be joining the CIW's Fair Food Program, the only social accountability program of its kind that combines worker-to-worker education, a complaint mechanism with protection against retaliation, and a third-party monitoring organization that investigates and resolves complaints as well as carries out regular field and farm office audits to measure compliance with the Fair Food Code of Conduct. The burgeoning Fair Food Program is already transforming conditions and wages in the fields which for so long fostered poverty and human rights abuses for farmworkers.

The entire Fair Food Program is enforced through the exercise of market consequences if a farm fails to comply with the Code. The market consequences are required by the Fair Food Agreements signed by participating retail food corporations, in which the companies have agreed to curtail purchases from growers unwilling to complywith the Code. Chipotle's refusal to sign an Agreement means it is under no obligation, much less verifiable obligation, to stop buying tomatoes from growers where workers' rights are being violated. Chipotle insists that it only purchases tomatoes from growers complying with Fair Food Standards, but such claims, lacking the transparency, monitoring and binding commitment of a Fair Food Agreement, amount to little more than a cynical attempt to white wash its image.

So, on October 6, the CIW and allies will come to the Cultivate Festival in Denver to show Chipotle that promoting itself as sustainable is not enough - it must include workers' rights, and workers themselves, in its vision of a food system that claims to be based on integrity. We will not settle for public relations games and half measures when it comes to human rights.

Contact DenverFairFood@gmail.com for more info.

DenverFairFood.blogspot.com

Chipotle's food movement charm offensive will not go unanswered!

CIW, Fair Food activists to attend Chipotle's upcoming "Cultivate" festivals in Chicago, Denver, highlight company's "Chipocrisy" when it comes to human rights...

 

On September 15th, Chipotle Mexican Grill will hold the second annual "Cultivate Festival" in Lincoln Park, Chicago. The day-long festival -- "bringing together food, farmers, chefs, artisans, thought leaders, and musicians" -- is a celebration of Chipotle's self-proclaimed holistic commitment to "food with integrity." Three weeks later, the festival moves to Denver, Chipotle's hometown, and it happens all over again.

The Cultivate festivals are all part of a concerted outreach effort by Chipotle to distance itself from the image of a traditional fast-food company and to woo the country's growing "Good Food" movement. As Chipotle CEO Steve Ells said in a recent article about the shift in the company's marketing strategy ("Chipotle shifts marketing approach, reports 8% comps increase," fastcasual.com, 7/23/12):

"Ells said the company is developing new creative concepts to follow up its Back to Basics short film that aired during the Super Bowl... The company also is producing two Cultivate Food, Ideas & Music Festivals. Cultivate Chicago will be held Sept. 15 in Lincoln Park, and Cultivate Denver is slated for Oct. 6 in the Meadow at City Park... 'These programs, along with a variety of others, are all designed to engage with our customers in conversations and create an emotional connection that will last much longer than any limited time offer possibly could,' Ells said. 'I think this is absolutely the right direction for our marketing and believe it's very consistent with our brand. We've built Chipotle in a way that is different than traditional fast food, so it should be no surprise that the marketing that works best for us does not follow the traditional fast food model.'" read more

Despite Chipotle's claim to be the fast-food leader in social accountability, the burgeoning restaurant chain has for many years now refused to sign a Fair Food Agreement, an agreement four other leading fast-food companies signed long ago, including McDonald's, Chipotle's former parent company. By signing a Fair Food Agreement, Chipotle would be joining the CIW's Fair Food Program, the only social accountability program of its kind that combines worker-to-worker education, a complaint mechanism with protection against retaliation, and a third-party monitoring organization that investigates and resolves complaints as well as carries out regular field and farm office audits to measure compliance with the Fair Food Code of Conduct.

The entire Fair Food Program is enforced through the exercise of market consequences if a farm fails to comply with the Code. The market consequences are required by the Fair Food Agreements signed by participating retail food corporations, in which the companies have agreed to curtail purchases from growers unwilling to comply with the Code. Chipotle's refusal to sign an Agreement means it is under no obligation, much less verifiable obligation, to stop buying tomatoes from growers where workers' rights are being violated.

So, on September 15th, the CIW and allies will head to the Cultivate Festival in Chicago to show Chipotle that promoting itself as sustainable is not enough - it must include workers' rights, and workers themselves, in its vision of a food system that claims to be based on integrity.

Fair Food activists are planning a series of creative actions inside the festival - creating a festival within a festival of sorts - to unveil the truth behind Chipotle's marketing. Combining prayer, theater, music, and a few surprises, the counter-festival will highlight the contradiction between the attention Chipotle pays to sustainable meat and animal welfare, on the one hand, while, on the other hand, simultaneously refusing to partner with the CIW in the Fair Food Program, the program for real social responsibility that is today changing the pervasive poverty and powerlessness of the farmworkers who pick Florida tomatoes.

      

If you live in the Chicago or Denver areas and would like to get involved in the Fair Food activities during the upcoming Cultivate festivals, you can email organizers at Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida.