Ethical Charter Implementation Program adds suppliers to program

The Equitable Food Initiative has launched a supplier program within its Learn, Assess and Benchmark — or LAB — platform of the Ethical Charter Implementation Program.

The certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumer groups said its LAB channels had been previously only available to growers.

The supplier LAB offers resources to suppliers to support grower partners to align with the Ethical Charter, according to a news release. Assessment questions help suppliers benchmark and prioritize areas for improvement. The organization said the supplier LAB will enable suppliers to demonstrate an alignment with the Ethical Charter to retail and foodservice customers.

“Currently, there is no standardized platform for major produce buyers to assess the extent or impact of social responsibility efforts within their supply chain,” Diona Monroe, EFI data manager, said in the release. “This new component of ECIP gives suppliers the ability to demonstrate their leadership and receive recognition for their hard work to promote responsible labor practices. Retailers also get a comprehensive view of labor management systems in their supply chains, moving beyond traditional audits to build capacity and assess labor practices.”

Participating buyers will have access to aggregated data and industrywide reports that can help identify trends and develop targeted resources to support participating suppliers, the release said. EFI said retailers will begin to see supplier engagement scores calculated through the new supplier LAB in early November.

"We are excited about the impact this next phase of ECIP is expected to deliver by engaging our suppliers in new actionable ways," Jim Hancock, vice president of produce and floral at Sam’s Club, said in the release. "As suppliers begin to self-assess their own management systems, it will allow us to better support them and their growers with additional tools and resources, and to ultimately recognize the suppliers who are most engaged in developing responsible labor practices."

The Equitable Food Initiative said it will host a webinar Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Pacific), which will include a demonstration of each of the learn, assess, and benchmark channels, guest speakers and a live Q&A. More information and registration is at equitablefood.org/webinars.