Good Food Is Fair Food

October 23, 2015

October 24 is Food Day, an occasion designed to inspire U.S. residents to take action to change food policies. At UUSC, our Economic Justice Program recognizes the critical role that food chain workers play in the United States. Food Day is the perfect opportunity to take action to support food chain workers across the country!

The food chain employs approximately 20 million U.S. workers. They play a critical role that touches each and every one of our lives on a daily basis. Yet workers in the U.S. food chain are vulnerable to having their rights violated in a number of ways, including wage theft, unsafe working conditions, and lack of access to benefits.

The Food Chain Workers Alliance (FCWA), a UUSC partner, is a key proponent of the Good Food Purchasing Policy (GFPP). This policy ensures that institutions — restaurants, schools, cities — get their food in a fair, transparent, and sustainable manner that benefits workers and the environment.

The City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District signed the GFPP on Food Day in 2012. Since then, it governs an estimated 750,000 meals a day in Los Angeles. Now, with UUSC’s support, FCWA is looking to expand GFPP.

In September, FCWA — in collaboration with the Unitarian Universalist College of Social Justice and with support from UUSC — hosted the first of a series of trainings about food worker justice. This unique learning opportunity brought together 25 workers, Unitarian Universalists, and other faith-based allies to explore the root causes of the problems in our food chain and to empower the participants to campaign for GFPP in their communities.

UUSC is now joining FCWA , the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, and others in calling on Darden to abide by GFPP principles. Darden is a major food provider with more than 1,500 restaurants and 150,000 employees. It serves 320 million meals a year. Given this, Darden is in a unique position to improve workers’ lives through its procurement policies.

On Food Day 2015, stand with UUSC and FCWA by taking action to advance GFPP at Darden . As consumers, we have a unique opportunity to promote workers’ rights in the food chain by standing up for fairer food procurement policies!