Food Safety Action Alert – Part Two
Posted: 2/2/2010

You may remember our action alert from November. Food safety legislation has been knocking around Congress for quite a while, in the wake of the numerous recalls and other scares. It seems obvious that the government should put more teeth into food safety oversight, but – like many “obvious” initiatives that are spawned in Washington - the devil is in the details. In this case, the bills that have been reported out of committees have the very real potential to put many small farmers out of business. This could include our farmer partners here and abroad. A group of Senators is working on a solution.

For the specifics on how to take action, download this action alert from the National Organic Coalition (Equal Exchange is a member).

For more details on the legislation, see this update from the Executive Director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.

Demand Investigation of Dole Food Company
Updated: 5/26/2009

In May, a Florida law firm, Conrad and Scherer LLP, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dole Food Company, one of the largest banana companies in the world. The lawsuit, brought on behalf of 73 plaintiffs from the Province of Magdalena, Colombia, charges Dole with having hired the right-wing paramilitary group known as the AUC (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia) to act as a “local police force” in and around the company’s Magdalena banana plantations. The plaintiffs allege that the AUC paramilitaries performed a number of violent services for Dole, including driving small farmers from their land to allow Dole to plant bananas; driving leftist guerrillas out of the Magdalena banana zone, and in the process murdering thousands of innocent people, including relatives of the plaintiffs; keeping trade unions out of Dole’s banana plantations by murdering union leaders and organizers, and using terror tactics to discourage workers from joining unions or negotiating collective bargaining agreements with Dole.

Get the details here.

Food Safety Action Alert
Posted: 11/17/2009
For more information, read the Small Farmers. Big Change. blog

Shut The Revolving Door between Big Ag and OUR government
Posted: 10/30/2009
For more information, read the Small Farmers. Big Change. blog

Protest Massacre of Indigenous People in Peru
Updated: 6/12/2009
For more information, read our call to action.

Call to Action to End the Food Crisis
Updated: 12/19/2008
For more information, read our call to action.

Build Support for the TRADE Act
Updated: 7/3/2008
For more information, read our call to action.

Vote No to expand the NAFTA into Peru
Posted: 10/4/2007
For more information, read our call to action.

Tell Congress: No Extension for Fast Track Authority
Posted: 4/4/2007
For more information, visit the Public Citizen website.

Help Defend Group Organic Certification for Small Farmer Co-ops
Posted: 4/18/2007
For more information, read our call to action.

Equal Exchange Supports Push For Major Farm Bill Changes
Posted: 1/23/2007
For more information, read the press release.

Equal Exchange Supports Increase in Minimum Wage
Posted: 1/23/2007
For more information, read the press release and letter at commondreams.org.

Equal Exchange Condemns Unfair Tax on Small Cocoa Farmers in the Dominican Republic
Posted: 5/24/2006
For more information, read the press release.