Latest News From Social Responsibility

The Boise, Idaho-based grocer has expanded its Supplier Diversity Program as it prepares to host its second virtual summit this spring.

As strawberry season begins to unfold here in California, so does the beginning of volunteer season by the Bobalu staff. Typically, volunteering is done without much fanfare, just because it is the right thing to do.

USDA Deputy Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh announced that USDA is investing $1 billion to build and improve critical community facilities in 48 states, Puerto Rico and Guam.

EFI will now bring a new focus on the Midwest fresh fruit and vegetable industry, based on market research and the latest industry trends.

Fairtrade America released five key consumer trends that will impact how brands source ingredients and work to have a larger impact on people and the planet in 2022.

Despite ongoing challenges presented by the COVID pandemic, 2021 was a year of progress for Equitable Food Initiative as it drew strength from its multistakeholder approach, bringing new insights.

The Packer and Equitable Food Initiative announce a second webinar series to further educate fresh produce industry professionals about the importance of a healthy, skilled workforce and the programs that support it.

Voluntary sustainability standards such as Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, and Bonsucro can help reduce global poverty among small farmers that make up many of the world’s poor, according to a new report.

Fyffes and Breakfast Club of Canada (BCC) are delighted to announce a new partnership that will increase fresh fruit servings to school children in Montreal communities where the need is greatest.

Expanding the annual one-day Hunts Point Gives Back event to a Hunts Point Week of Giving series of events spread out across New York City worked so well in 2020, that organizers repeated the success in 2021.

Smurfit Kappa, one of the global leaders in paper-based solutions, has associated with San Antonio Metropolitan Ministries to expand their Children’s Enrichment Center (CEC).

California Giant Berry Farms has announced the distribution of $48,000 to twelve non-profit organizations throughout the greater Pajaro Valley area through its philanthropic initiative, The California Giant Foundation.

Equitable Food Initiative is proud to announce that EFI-certified NatureSweet® Tomatoes has earned a Communitas Award for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility thanks to leadership efforts during the pandemic. 

Donations made to the Washington Apple Education Foundation (WAEF) will be matched this month thanks to the generosity of three tree fruit industry companies.

The Hunts Point Produce Market’s annual Thanksgiving-time food donation event will return, and it will hit all five boroughs.

Monterey Mushrooms presented 94 children of its employees with $254,678 in scholarship awards for the 2021-22 academic year. 

To learn more about what D’Arrigo CA is doing to advance breast cancer research tune in on Thursday, October 14th at 11:30am PST to be part of a Zoom webinar to hear directly from BCRF experts.

Who has what it takes? That is the question that Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) is asking as it announces its call to participate in the third annual Viva Fresh Clean Eating Challenge.

Stronger Together US is proud to announce Oregon-based AgriLabor and California-based AgSocio are the first farm labor contractors (FLCs) to achieve Clearview certification in the United States. 

Fyffes has concluded its first community needs assessment in the surrounding communities of its melon farms in Choluteca, Honduras.

Zespri is reaching out to retailers and to the produce trade industry for support in their social and influencer engagement activity as part of No Kid Hungry’s “Rebuilding” campaign.

Episode 58 of Tip of the Iceberg Podcast features a conversation with Michael Smith, a senior at Lincoln University, an agriculture major and president of the school’s MANRRS chapter. 

Brookshire Grocery Co. is launching a relief campaign for customers to donate to the American Red Cross for people who are affected by Hurricane Ida.

Stemilt received new Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) certifications in [August] to become the first apple, pear, and cherry company to achieve EFI certification of its entire operation.

Spring Born, an organic hydroponic farm, has kicked off production inside its Silt, Colo., facility.

It’s no wonder Michael Smith wasn’t comfortable with pursuing a career in agriculture when he started college at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo.

Bronx, N.Y.-based S. Katzman Produce honored the recipients of its 2021 Fifth Annual Scholarship Program at a celebratory dinner with the winners, their families and guests from the company.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $21 million to provide broadband internet service in rural areas in New York without sufficient access.

As the pandemic slowly begins to ease, what were some of the lessons learned, principles that will help the industry better navigate the realities of today and the unforeseen crises of tomorrow?

UNSTUCK partners with brands to create co-branded products made with ingredients sourced from suppliers hiring refugees.

Houston-based nonprofit Brighter Bites received a $40,000 grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, in collaboration with Feeding America, to expand Texas programming.

Reidsville, Ga.-based Shuman Farms staff members are spending June volunteering in the communities where their RealSweet Vidalia onions are sold.

Divine Flavor and the American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR) launch partnership aimed towards spreading awareness to consumers of how table grapes can be part of a plant based diet that reduces cancer risk.

To help with the ongoing demand for food in the U.S., USDA announced it is investing $1 billion in the country's food bank networks.

Tarrytown, NY-based Jac. Vandenberg, Inc. is excited to announce that through its SUNRAYS® brand it will be supporting Save the Children’s annual summer reading campaign in the United States, which starts today.

To survive and thrive, produce professionals always have to ask: Where do we go from here?

Foodlink has purchased 3.6 million pounds of surplus food from New York farmers since the beginning of the Nourish New York program.

Equitable Food Initiative announced that GoodFarms strawberries will debut as the first EFI-certified product in Whole Foods Market’s Sourced for Good program during May, which is also National Strawberry Month.

“Awe Sum Organics offers Organic and Fair Trade USA Certified fruit! They feel it is important to give back to the local communities involved in growing, harvesting, packing, and shipping our Awe Sum Organic fruit.

Longo’s Brothers Fruit Market (“Longo’s”) has become the first grocery retailer in North America to commit to offering only Fairtrade bananas in their 36 stores and through delivery on Grocery Gateway.

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. — How could a church win a potato display contest that’s normally awarded to a retailer?

The Produce Marketing Association is continuing to offer new programming with its first-ever Diversity & Inclusion Program.

The U.S. fresh produce sector continues to experience the shocks of COVID-19, limited resources, labor shortages, increasing regulation, and other challenges.

Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation will host a virtual garden based learning event on April 27. 

Episode 41 of Tip of the Iceberg Podcast features a conversation with Roberta Anderson, executive vice president of GLOBALG.A.P. North America.

Stemilt’s journey to achieve Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) certification across numerous ranches and warehouses is well on its way to becoming a reality.

A multi-stakeholder perspective and honest dialogue on social responsibility and what it means for employee and consumer engagement.

Fair Trade USA is honoring National Farmworker Awareness Week (March 25-31) and urging both consumers and businesses to support impacted farming communities by purchasing and sourcing Fair Trade Certified produce.

Nogales, Ariz.-based Divine Flavor has said their new Jalisco grape operation at Grupo Alta- Don Mario has become the latest ranch within the company to become Fair Trade Certified.

In observance of National Farmworker Awareness Week, Wholesum celebrates another year with their Fair Trade program, which empowers farmworkers, brings equity to the supply chain and uplifts farming communities.