The Fair Food Program

SPONSORS

The Fair Food Sponsor Program was created for independent retailers and co-ops looking for a tangible way to support the human rights of farmworkers, and to put company values into practice as they help to build a more ethical food system.

Fair Food Program Sponsors support the Program at a scale that makes sense for their smaller operations, and commit to educating and engaging their customers and members about Fair Food. 

FEATURED SPONSORS

Three Rivers Market
The first co-op in Tennessee to join the Program
TN
The Trashy Vegan (Asheville)
First Restaurant to join (and first Sponsor in NC!)
NC
Each Peach Market
The first independent retailer to join the Program
D.C.
Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-Op
First co-op in Maryland to join!
Maryland
Park Slope Food Coop
NYC institution inaugurates the Fair Food Sponsor Program
New York

WHY JOIN THE FAIR FOOD SPONSOR PROGRAM?

The Fair Food Program traditionally leverages the industry power of corporate buyers, so until now smaller food retailers did not have a concrete way to support the Program.  We know that many of our strongest supporters are also members of their local co-ops or regulars at their local independent, ethically-minded grocers.  The FFP Sponsor Program creates a new entry point for smaller retailers who aspire to support ethical practices, to meet the expectations of a committed shopper base, and to help build a more just food system.

RESOURCES

Download Sponsor Program Factsheets

Learn more about the Program, or use this information to start a conversation with your favorite retailer about becoming an FFP sponsor!

The Fair Food Sponsor Program

About the Fair Food Program

FAIR FOOD SPONSOR PROGRAM

Frequently Asked Questions

We created the Fair Food Sponsor Program after many years of conversation with smaller-scale buyers of produce.  They were seeking a meaningful way of contributing to the Fair Food movement, but didn’t fit the Fair Food model’s focus on large-scale national chains and those corporations’ ability to leverage their purchasing power to drive change in their suppliers’ labor practices.  We started to imagine a role they could play that would allow them to support the Fair Food Program in a way that makes sense for their scale. We hope to create a community of Fair Food Sponsors with other cooperatives, small grocery stores, restaurants, chefs, and other institutions. 

Fair Food Sponsors are partnering with the Fair Food Program to assist in extending FFP’s unprecedented human rights protections to millions more farmworkers across the U.S. 

Sponsors commit to:

  1. Making recurring annual support payments to the Fair Food Program, scaled to the size of the business. The Sponsor payments are divided between a direct economic benefit to workers as a bonus on their paychecks, and support for the independent monitoring work required to uphold the protections of the program. 
  2. Educating/engaging their customers, members, patrons, about the Fair Food Program through signage or other creative engagement that makes sense for the setting.
  3. Making an effort to buy Fair Food Program produce when possible. 

The Fair Food Sponsor Program allows ethically-minded co-ops, independent grocers, and small restaurants to demonstrate and uphold their values in a measurable and effective way. The award-winning Fair Food Program is the only one of its kind that is truly worker-driven, transparent, and accountable to workers themselves.  The independent, dedicated monitoring of the Fair Food Standards Council, which Sponsors support, ensures that workers have access to complaint resolution 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in their language. 

Fair Food Sponsors can proudly showcase their affiliation to the Fair Food Program, and their guests and customers will know that as patrons, they, too, are standing up for the human rights of farmworkers. 

We know that small businesses trying to do the “right thing” face challenges, from lack of time to research supplier options, to lack of information about what certification labels actually mean. The Fair Food Program supports Sponsors with information, stories, and insights that empower our partners and their customers to feel educated and confident about transforming farmworker human rights. 

You can see if you already sell Fair Food produce by checking the Fair Food Program website for Participating Growers, or asking your wholesale supplier to check: https://www.fairfoodprogram.org/partners/

What if I can’t source Fair Food Produce? 

No problem! The Fair Food Sponsor Program offers an opportunity for any businesses that are not traditional buyers in the Fair Food Program to support the program’s expansion. Small food retailers who don’t or can’t buy Fair Food produce are still welcomed and encouraged to become Sponsors, because this helps us build momentum, awareness, and demand. 

I do have Fair Food produce in my store, how can I promote it?

In addition to the support payment and educational component, there is a Fair Food Program label, which can be affixed to produce or displayed on signage. 

We collaborate with Sponsors on a press release and media outreach, including through our social media channels and website. We can also provide you with custom digital files for posters, flyers, brochures, and anything else you think might work best for your business.  If you are selling Fair Food Program produce, we can also provide digital design files of our label and/or create a bin sign for you. In short, outreach and marketing is a collaborative, customized process meant to make sure you have what you need! 

It’s easy to start the conversation! Reach out to us about your interest and we will set up an initial phone call to get to know each other! Here are some of the things we’ll probably talk about:

  • How the worker-driven Fair Food Program fits into your ethics and mission 
  • Whether you sell FFP produce (it’s not required)
  • The size of your coop/business (to help determine the sliding scale support contribution)
  • How you typically engage/communicate with your customers/members/guests (to help brainstorm ways we can educate and excite the people you serve)
  • What opportunities exist to promote and celebrate your partnership to the press and broader public
  • Questions you have about how the core Fair Food Program works, or how the Sponsor Program works

READY TO LEARN MORE?

Reach out to us to set up a conversation about joining the Fair Food Sponsor Program!