The
fight against corporate greed at United Natural Foods, Inc., the
largest so-called natural foods wholesaler in the country, has gone
national. The Teamsters have joined forces with the Organic Consumers
Association (OCA) to expose UNFI for selling out its workers and for
undermining the organic movement by flooding the marketplace with
conventional products greenwashed with “natural” labeling.
Union
members, consumer advocates, and other concerned citizens who care
about environmental sustainability and the way industry giants like
UNFI treats its workers are engaging in a coordinated campaign to
pressure the company to change its practices and treat its workers
fairly.
Recent actions include the following:
- Leafleting
over 2,000 consumers at the Fancy Foods trade show in NYC exposing the
greedy partnership between UNFI and its largest retail partner, Whole
Foods. - Surveying vendors at the Fancy Foods trade show to assess the effect of UNFIs practices on small organic retailers.
- Sending
thousands of emails to UNFI urging the company to stop marketing
so-called natural products in such a manner as to make them appear
almost organic. - Publishing a series of OCA newsletters that report on the effect of UNFIs near market monopoly on the organic movement.
What you can do:
- Send
an e-letter to UNFI urging the company to provide its employees with a
fair compensation and benefits package that would put members on a path
toward a secure retirement. - Go to the Organic Consumer Associations website at organicconsumers.org and tell UNFI to stop undermining the organic movement.
- Stay
tuned for more actions in conjunction with the release of the movie
Food, Inc., a documentary that exposes corporations that put profit
ahead of consumer health. - Look for ongoing updates at your Teamsters Local 117 website at www.teamsters117.org.