Internationally recognized organization the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) has officially launched its first ever Fair Food label, that the creators say will greatly improve the lives of Florida tomato farmworkers. 

Fair Food is similar to 'Fair Trade' labels on other products, and will signify that the tomatoes were harvested by workers paid a premium - contributed by the buyer - and guaranteed their human rights.

The label will be displayed in all retail stores and restaurants participating in the program to help shoppers identify which tomatoes come from ethical farms.

"We have waited nearly five years before revealing this label to the world today," CIW representative Cruz Salucio said.

"Over those years, we have been doing the hard, day-by-day work of building the Fair Food Program in Florida's fields — educating workers about their rights, investigating complaints, and identifying and eliminating bad actors and bad practices — so that today we can stand behind the fair conditions and effective monitoring process that this label represents.

"We couldn't be more proud of this label. It symbolizes the new day for workers in agriculture that we, as farmworkers and in partnership with consumers across the country, have fought so hard to make real."

Whole Foods and Compass Brands, a major presence on university campuses, will be the first members of the Fair Food Program to display the label in their stores and dining facilities.

The label is a product of the Fair Food Program, which was created out of the success of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' (CIW) Campaign for Fair Food.

12 retail food giants have also signed up to the program, including Subway, McDonald's, Whole Foods, Chipotle, and Walmart.

The founders of the CIW were recently honored with the Clinton Global Citizen Award, presented by Eva Longoria, who has been a longtime supporter of farmworkers, including the CIW and the Fair Food Program.

www.freshfruitportal.com

U.S.: CIW launches landmark Fair Food label nationwide