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 www.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.
