A group is back in Gainesville to protest against Wendy’s tomatoes.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a farmers’ rights activist group, came to Gainesville to protest the Wendy’s restaurant located at the Reitz Union on Monday and the one on Archer Road on Wednesday. The group, which has been coming to Gainesville since 2001, is protesting Wendy’s refusal to join the Fair Food Program by picketing and boycotting their locations.
Richard MacMaster, the chair of Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice, said the program ensures farmers are not exploited in any way for their work by creating a partnership between farmers, farmworkers and retail food companies. But Wendy’s refuses to take part in the program despite efforts from the organizations, he said. Other companies including McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Wal-Mart have joined.
“We’ve done everything else, and nothing seems to work,” he said.
The coalition has been trying to push Aramark, which is part of the program, to get rid of Wendy’s.
An Aramark spokesperson said the company is committed to ensuring its food and services are produced responsibly and within labor and environmental regulations.
“Wendy’s has a similar code of conduct, and this includes their tomato suppliers who have all signed the Fair Food Agreement,” Aramark wrote in an email.
Florida is one of the leading producers of tomatoes, but Wendy’s started buying them from farmers in Mexico where the farm work isn’t regulated, said Sheila Payne, a member of Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice.
“What we believe is they have a responsibility all the way down the supply chain,” Payne said.