What Does the EFI Label Mean?
Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured®
When you see the EFI label on fruits and vegetables, it means the grower is providing a new level of transparency that comes from having met the gold standard for social responsibility.
The EFI label signifies that the workers harvesting your fresh produce are not only treated well and compensated fairly, but they are engaged to identify problems and solutions that impact the safety of your food while helping to transform the agricultural supply chain.
The EFI Certification Standards are the most rigorous in the industry and the only ones that integrate worker voice and create a workplace culture where everyone collaborates to continuously improve working conditions and food safety.
Those who grow our food are the true change-agents. Farmers make innumerable choices every day. Which can have beneficial or grave effects on the health of soil, water, air and physical well-being. As such, consumers are increasingly putting their money where their values are. Toward brands and products they trust, and that support farmers who use methods that comfort the shopper.
The Highest Standards Are Behind the EFI Label
It is an arduous process to meet any certification. The EFI Label represents some of the most comprehensive and rigorous in the industry. Highlights from the standards include:
- Close access to safe drinking water, bathrooms and hand-washing facilities for all farmworkers
- No retaliation for those who report or document violation of EFI Standards, refuse overtime work or seek medical attention
- No forced labor or withholding of salary or charging high interest-rate loans on pay
- A clear plan and training program for food safety is in place
- Our training helps workers recognize and report issues that compromise food safety, including illness, presence of pests or animals, hygiene and sanitation
- The grower commits to integrated pest management and to minimize pesticide use
- If conventional pesticides are used, application is done by a licensed applicator, they are stored and labeled properly and exposure is limited
