Protestors again demonstrated outside Hannaford locations in Vermont over working conditions for migrant dairy farmworkers, the News & Citizen reports. It was the second time in over a year that rallies were held for the cause.
Advocates are urging Ahold Delhaize, the parent company of Ahold Delhaize USA and owner of the Hannaford brand, to join the immigrant rights group Migrant Justice’s Milk with Dignity program. The program asks participating companies to pay more for dairy products so that working conditions on dairy farms can improve.
Distributor Vermont Way Foods announced a partnership in October that allows Migrant Justice to monitor working conditions in its dairy supply network.
Migrant Justice accuses Hannaford of human rights violations in its dairy supply chain. According to a survey by the organization, most farmworkers in Vermont earn less than minimum wage and report suffering injuries due to working conditions.
Ahold Delhaize recently conducted a human rights investigation involving farms that produce Hannaford-brand milk, and the results are pending.
“Hannaford strongly supports the fair and dignified treatment of all workers in our supply chain, and we recognize that migrant farm workers face vulnerabilities and challenges unique to their circumstance,” Hannaford said in an emailed statement to Supermarket News. “This is why we’re engaging in a Human Rights Impact Assessment, a thorough third-party due diligence review of our dairy supply chain.”
Hannaford believes the independent review of its supply chain will help better inform the work the grocer is engaging in to find sustainable industry-wide solutions to this complex supply chain issue. Meanwhile, Hannaford continues to work with its suppliers to assess farms within its supply chain and to ensure continued compliance with Ahold Delhaize’s Standards of Engagement.
During the protests, Hannaford increased its security presence, which included the Morristown Police Department and the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department, to ensure that people parking in Hannaford lots were there to buy groceries.
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