Equitable Food Initiative says it is evolving its certification program with a more streamlined approach, building on a decade of experience certifying produce farming operations and incorporating input from growers, suppliers, retailers, auditors and other key partners.
The organization said market feedback consistently reports that its core strengths are in workforce engagement and workplace culture change, and it is responding by streamlining its training and auditing processes. Farming operations seeking certification will therefore audit to EFI’s social and culture of food safety standards, with the option to include the integrated pest management standards, according to a news release.
EFI’s certification program has been recognized for its unique approach of engaging workers at every level of a farming operation and fostering the development of collaborative worker-manager teams on each farm, the release said, adding that the program is recognized by major retailers, including Costco Wholesale, Kroger, Sam’s Club, Target, Walmart and Whole Foods Market. EFI says independent third-party evaluations have consistently demonstrated the program’s effectiveness in driving positive cultural change, establishing integrated management systems and improving communication and skill development among workers.
“We recognize the value of EFI’s rigorous certification process, which we believe is largely attributed to the active engagement of workers in all facets of the operation,” said Preston Witt, human rights director for Costco Wholesale. “Streamlining and consolidating the process to what EFI does best is incredibly exciting, especially given the industry’s strong and growing commitment to social responsibility and sustainability.”
“Over the past several years, EFI has made a series of strategic decisions to better align our work to our mission,” said Peter O’Driscoll, executive director of EFI. “The market has responded positively to our certification’s ability to engage workers and create a culture of continuous improvement, and by focusing on those strengths, we can better serve growers and position the program to grow.”
To drive efficiencies and cost effectiveness in the certification program, EFI said it is no longer conducting Global Food Safety Initiative-recognized technical food safety audits, since many growers already hold certificates from other programs. EFI offers growers more flexibility to train and develop their worker-manager collaborative teams and to choose the standards they audit against, the release said.
In recent years, EFI said it has also introduced a certification program for farm labor contractors and another that satisfies the Regenerative Organic Certified gold-level worker fairness standards, both focused solely on social responsibility and worker engagement.
“It has always been a priority for EFI to minimize redundancy in the auditing process while ensuring that workers understand food safety and uphold responsible labor practices,” said Karla Cook, certification manager for EFI. “We have learned a lot in recent years that has shaped our internal processes for both training and auditing, and we are eager to put those learnings to work for new growers.”
“Ensuring a culture of continuous improvement and worker engagement is EFI’s competitive advantage, and we believe our approach is unique in the industry,” O’Driscoll said. “I’m excited to see what new opportunities open for EFI as we sharpen our focus on the areas our clients tell us we do best.”
