Organic grower Wholesum Harvest today announced that Fair Trade USA, the country’s leading third-party Fair Trade certifier, has awarded Wholesum’s produce line Fair Trade Certification in recognition of the company’s commitment to free trade, fair labor practices, equitable compensation and environmental sustainability.
"We consider it a great honor to offer our customers Fair Trade Certified organic produce that is not only safe, healthy and delicious, but is grown ethically and responsibly," said Ricardo Crisantes, vice president of sales and marketing for Wholesum Harvest.
Fair Trade USA requires that companies meet certain standards for social and environmental sustainability to use the Fair Trade Certified label on their products. Workers must be justly compensated and provided with a safe working environment; companies must demonstrate transparency in their supply chains and agree to submit to thorough audits; and companies must be able to show traceability from the point of harvest to the grocery store shelf. Growers should also show good stewardship of natural resources and the environment.
"Wholesum Harvest has long been committed to protecting the rights of our growers and laborers," said Crisantes. "We are thrilled to be recognized for our dedication to human rights and our desire to improve the economies of the Mexican communities in which we operate. Additionally, Wholesum Harvest is dedicated to minimizing our carbon footprint through biological pest management, water and energy conservation, and sustainable agriculture."
Products marketed under the Wholesum Harvest brand name—zucchini; European, mini European, and slicer cucumbers; green, yellow and red bell peppers; eggplant; and grape, vine ripened, beefsteak, cherry and Roma tomatoes—will now bear the Fair Trade Certified label.
Wholesum Family Farms, an organic produce company based in Nogales, Arizona, offers certified organic tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, mangos, squash and zucchini under the brand name Wholesum Harvest. Wholesum Harvest is a member of the Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association.
