Our independent growers have always been expected to comply with laws and regulations. However, we came to realize the need for additional standards in places where laws don't exist, are not consistently enforced, or fail to sufficiently protect the worker. We reviewed  existing standards from organizations like the International Labor Organization (ILO) Conventions, Global Social Compliance Program (GSCP) Standards, Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) Standards, and applied these existing frameworks to the realities unique to our crops and growing regions to develop a supporting set of standards that ensure farm workers are treated fairly, workplaces are hygenic, and employment within the Driscoll’s system provides a comfortable income. Driscoll’s only works with suppliers that not only adhere to applicable local laws but show a commitment to our own labor standards. There is zero tolerance for engaging in child labor, forced labor, human trafficking, coercion, abuse or harassment. As well as any breaches of health and safety conditions that pose a threat to life and limb.

With regard to labor policies, practices and conditions, Driscoll's promises and demands transparent information exchange. To ensure  standards are being adhered to, growers are equipped with regular training, methods of best practice, and are subject to third party audits. They also receive support to continuously improve the working environment. We recognize issues may arise and incremental change may be necessary to remain compliant, so if any issues are identified through the audit process, growers are expected to work with Driscoll’s to create an improvement plan. This plan identifies specific changes that will need to be made in order to bring employment practices at the place in question up to standard.

Key elements of our labor program include creating new processes and then educating growers on how to implement them. Once these processes are developed and handed over to growers and district managers, they become completely embedded within normal business activities to ensure lasting and sustainable change. To ensure acceptance and adoption of our labor standards, 100% of our growers have receive in-person training. Based on local needs and conditions, growers and their key staff also receive deep dives into more specific topics like health and safety.

Alone, Driscoll's can only do so much. To address widespread and complex issues in agriculture, we must partner with growers, other companies, governments, NGOs and other stakeholders to find solutions and raise standards across the industry. We engage in the ethical trading forum in Spain and the Strawberry Working Group in Morocco to help tackle systemic issues such as insufficient social security registrations. The good results in Morocco were recognized with a SEDEX award in 2019.
Some other examples:
In Morocco, we collaborate with the Social Security office - CNSS, organising visits to all farms in order to inform workers on their social security rights and benefits, and how to access them. 
And in Portugal, we've joined forces with growers, local schools and NGOs to facilitate the learning of Portuguese for migrant farm workers.