New ECIP platform helps farm contractors assess labor management systems

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2026 – The Ethical Charter Implementation Program (ECIP), overseen by a multistakeholder industry group to build alignment with the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices and facilitated by Equitable Food Initiative BB #:385632, announces the launch of a new platform for farm labor contractors.

The latest Learn, Assess and Benchmark (LAB) platform offers farm labor contractors an accessible starting point for social responsibility, with tools and resources to increase knowledge and assess and strengthen their labor management systems over time. FLC LAB will launch on April 1, 2026, alongside a live informational webinar at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT.

Through a continuous improvement model, the platform helps farm labor contractors increase their knowledge, evaluate their current labor management systems and track progress over time.

Using the LAB platform, farm labor contractors can:

§ Learn about management systems that support responsible labor practices.

§ Assess their current systems across 56 labor-related work areas.

§ Benchmark progress over time. By participating, farm labor contractors can also showcase existing social responsibility certifications and demonstrate credible engagement through continuous improvement.

“FLC LAB was created to give farm labor contractors a practical and supportive way to strengthen their labor management systems,” said Madelyn Edlin, product marketing manager for EFI. “By focusing on learning, self-assessment and benchmarking, the platform helps farm labor contractors better understand where they are today and provides tools to improve over time.”

FLC LAB is a capacity-building tool, not a compliance test. Farm labor contractors can answer assessments honestly, knowing their responses are confidential and used to support learning and improvement within their own operations.

Farm labor contractors manage a significant portion of the agricultural workforce, and strengthening their labor management systems helps improve alignment with the Ethical Charter across the supply chain.

To introduce the platform, ECIP’s live webinar will provide an overview of FLC LAB and guidance on how farm labor contractors can begin using the platform to strengthen their operations, as well as how this new release will relate to existing growers and suppliers.

“This webinar is designed to walk farm labor contractors through the platform and show how easy it is to get started,” Edlin said. “We want to showcase how FLC LAB can support operations and strengthen their systems.”

Attendees can also ask questions live and explore how FLC LAB fits into the broader ECIP framework. Registration is now open. Farm labor contractors, growers, suppliers and retailers are encouraged to attend.

For more information and to get started: · Learn more about FLC LAB. · Register for the April 1 webinar. · Fill out this form to get an invitation LAB on April 1. · Visit ethicalcharterprogram.org for more information on ECIP.

About ECIP

The Ethical Charter Implementation Program is a collaboration among retailers, grower-shippers and implementing organizations to recognize and strengthen engagement around labor practices in the fresh produce industry, highlight existing best-practice efforts and identify opportunities for continuous improvement. The program is built around self-assessment to avoid the burden of an additional audit. Through an assessment tool and capacity-building resources, it helps measure and strengthen alignment with the principles of the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices. Launched with initial funding from the Walmart Foundation and administered by Equitable Food Initiative, the program is overseen by an advisory group composed of leading buyers and suppliers and key stakeholders, including representatives from Bonduelle Fresh Americas, Costco Wholesale, Kroger, McDonald’s USA, Naturipe, Sam’s Club, Tanimura and Antle, Target, Taylor Farms and Walmart. More information about the program can be found at ethicalcharterprogram.org.

About the Ethical Charter

The Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices provides an industry framework for accountability and transparency related to respect for laws at work, respect for professional conduct and respect for human rights in the production and purchase of fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers. It was adopted in 2018 by the Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association (now combined to form the International Fresh Produce Association) after a committee of suppliers and buyers defined the common baseline to ensure everyone in the industry is treated with dignity and respect.

About ECIP LAB – Learn, Assess and Benchmark

ECIP LAB, an online platform designed by Equitable Food Initiative for growers, suppliers and buyers, creates engagement with and alignment to the principles of the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices throughout the produce supply chain. Suppliers and their growers are invited by their retail buyers to use this interactive tool to assess current practices and management systems, access resources and review information around best practices. An engagement profile tracks each grower’s and supplier’s ongoing interaction with the tool to encourage and support continuous improvement. Suppliers and their retail customers will see aggregated, anonymized data from their supply chain.

About Equitable Food Initiative

Equitable Food Initiative is a capacity-building and certification nonprofit that works to improve the lives of farmworkers and drive business performance by integrating worker engagement throughout the supply chain. As a multistakeholder organization, EFI brings together growers, farmworkers and retailers to create assessment, training and organizational development programs that support continuous improvement and address the industry’s most pressing challenges. Learn more at equitablefood.org.