Equitable Food Initiative announced that Alpine Fresh, Inc. has received its third farm certification for its growing operation in Guatemala. Under the new certification, French beans will be available in Costco Wholesale with EFI’s Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured label.
The Guatemala farming operation joins two of Alpine Fresh’s EFI-certified, Mexican operations: MangoPack in Tecate and AgriBeans in Puebla. This marks the 29th certification for EFI which partners with growers and retailers, with the aim to create a more transparent food chain, safer food and healthier places to work. The organization said its certification program sets rigorous standards for labor practices, food safety and pest management. In just a few years, EFI has worked with 18 grower-shipper companies on 47 farm locations, covering 39 produce commodities and impacting more than 30,000 farmworkers.
“We were the first packing operation certified by EFI, and now we’re proud to help EFI expand into Central America with our third certified operation,” said Manuel Rivera, vice president of fresh cut operations for Alpine Fresh. “Our goal is to bring workers and management together to produce the highest quality fruits and vegetables in a socially responsible way, and EFI has helped us lead the industry in achieving that goal.”
The Alpine Fresh certification expands EFI’s program to Guatemala adding to its reach of seven Mexican states, four U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. “We’re glad to be able to expand into the Americas to further support Alpine Fresh’s growing supply chain,” said Kevin Boyle, director of business and new product development for EFI. “Through this partnership, we’re creating a culture of continuous improvement, an engaged workforce and strong relationships based on trust and transparency.”
For more information:
LeAnne R. Ruzzamenti
Equitable Food Initiative
Ph: +1 (202) 524-0540
[email protected]
www.equitablefood.org