Meet the People Behind EFI: Jeff Lyons, Senior Vice President of Fresh Foods for Costco
As an industry leader in providing socially responsible fresh produce, Costco Wholesale requires its suppliers to adhere to company guidelines and ensure a culture of respect for employees. In a recent interview with The Packer, Jeff Lyons, Senior Vice President of Fresh Foods for Costco, explained that while there are several programs that meet Costco’s guidelines, Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) is in a class of its own. “It’s the gold standard,” he said. “We’d like to see everybody doing that.”
According to Lyons, Costco’s goal is to have every one of its suppliers participating in a social certification program. “I don’t want to have a certification that just checks the box; that’s not good enough,” Lyons said. “It’s got to have teeth, it’s got to be able to be audited. It’s got to be real.”
The program options that promote social equity in the fresh produce industry today were non-existent 10 years ago when Lyons was part of early discussions with a diverse group of industry stakeholders who came together to address what Lyons refers to as a “void in the industry.”
EFI is in a class of its own. It’s the gold standard. We’d like to see everybody doing that.”
—Jeff Lyons, Senior Vice President,
Fresh Foods, Costco Wholesale
“We felt [this lack of social accountability] was a weakness in the system. We didn’t feel it represented Costco correctly,” Lyons said.
Noting various ways that the vulnerabilities of farmworkers can be exploited, he said, “We didn’t want that in our supply chain. So we went out and got a lot of smart people together and said, ‘Ok, what is it we can do to help [farmworkers]—to keep them safe and make sure that they are being rewarded or paid for all this hard work they do?’”
EFI was born out of those discussions with major food buyers, growers, consumer advocates, pest management scientists, experts in organizational and workforce development and representatives from farmworker unions and farmworker advocacy groups.
In 2015, EFI launched as an independent nonprofit skill-building and certification organization that partners with major retailers, like Costco, to provide a framework for assuring social responsibility around labor practices, food safety and pest management for fresh produce suppliers. Retailers agree to pay a premium for EFI-certified products, and that premium is passed on to the farmworkers as an incentive for their extra oversight in complying with the EFI Standards.
“I think it’s part of [Costco’s] culture and my responsibility in the role I play to make sure we’re doing the right thing to provide product that’s safe and wholesome to our consumers to the best of our ability. And that means going all the way back in the supply chain and treating everybody with dignity and respect that harvests the product that we sell,” Lyons said. “We’re going to sell product at the best value in the U.S., but we’re not going to make that value off the backs of the people who harvest the product for us. We respect them, we’re going to make sure they are being paid correctly and honorably.”
Many of the first growers to pursue EFI certification starting in 2015 were Costco suppliers made aware of the program by Lyons.
“I can tell you that I’ve talked to some of the [growers that have become EFI certified], and they say, ‘This is one of the best things we’ve ever done,’” Lyons said, noting that these growers are experiencing greater success due to a higher level of engagement from employees and managers.
Lyons admits that he feels partnering with EFI gives Costco an advantage with consumers and investors who expect to see social responsibility valued in the industry. But even so, he said, “Similar to food safety, social accountability isn’t really something that we keep from our competitors. EFI we would share with anybody, because it’s the right thing to do. It treats people with respect. EFI brings a credibility to the produce industry that’s deep.”
Learn more about how EFI partners with major food buyers and fresh produce suppliers at www.equitablefood.org.
