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Tomato dispute persists

By Harold Lee

Nov. 8, 2004 9:00 p.m.

Though the Associated Students of UCLA Board of Directors closed
the campus Taco Bell as a result of allegations of labor abuse for
tomato pickers in Florida, tomatoes from the region may still be
used in ASUCLA restaurants.

Activists say most of the responsibility does not fall on small
vendors like ASUCLA. Representatives of the enterprise say that
it’s difficult to determine the origin of its produce and
that it’s unlikely produce-buying procedures would
change.

Bob Williams, interim executive director of ASUCLA, said at the
Oct. 22 meeting that ended Taco Bell’s stay on campus that he
had seen a box of tomatoes that bore information suggesting it was
from Immokalee, Fla.

This sighting had prompted Williams to contact ASUCLA’s
produce distributor, who explained that some tomatoes may come from
the controversial region.

“During certain times of the year, it is possible or
likely that we get (tomatoes) from Immokalee,” Williams said
at the meeting.

Activists have criticized Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum!
Brands, because the company purchases tomatoes from Immokalee
growers who allegedly violate the human rights of their
pickers.

ASUCLA was informed of the possibility that they purchase from
the region before they made the decision to end Taco Bell’s
contract. But ending the restaurant’s contract was a priority
over investigating ASUCLA’s own sources, said Emmanuel
Martinez, undergraduate representative on the board.

“We wanted to send a message of social responsibility and
that ASUCLA practices responsible social and business
practices,” Martinez said.

Activists demanding better working conditions do not target
smaller vendors that use Immokalee tomatoes. Groups like the
Coalition for Immokalee Workers and the Student Farmworker Alliance
allege Yum! Brands tomato providers are responsible for requesting
cheap tomatoes at the cost of workers’ rights.

Even if smaller vendors contact their suppliers and request that
their tomatoes not come from the Immokalee region, they do not have
the buying power to ensure that suppliers comply, said Brigitte
Gynther, a national coordinator for the Student Farmworker
Alliance.

“We’re asking for (Taco Bell) to take responsibility
for what their demand for artificially cheap tomatoes has
done,” she said.

Activists at UCLA agree with the coalition’s stance. Even
if ASUCLA has used tomatoes from Immokalee in the past, ASUCLA is
unable to influence change in labor conditions, said Nathan Lam, a
member of the Social Justice Alliance.

“By refusing to buy tomatoes, we would be putting the
farmworkers out of business,” Lam said.

Because tomato season varies throughout the year, produce
distributors, including Nature’s Produce, ASUCLA’s
produce provider, get tomatoes from around the world. Florida is
one key tomato-growing state, with Immokalee being its most
controversial region.

While ASUCLA can specify produce to be of a certain grade and
size, they cannot request that their produce come from a certain
region, said Roy Champawat, associate director of on-campus
restaurants.

If it were confirmed that ASUCLA uses tomatoes from the
Immokalee region, ASUCLA would have to go outside the highly
decentralized produce-distribution system to avoid using the
tomatoes, Champawat said.

“There’s probably a cost consequence,” he
said.

According to information compiled by ASUCLA officials, tomatoes
harvested in the spring and summer usually come from Northern
California and San Diego. During fall and winter, tomatoes mostly
come from Mexico, though they may come from Florida on occasion,
depending on supply and demand.

With reports from Shaun Bishop, Bruin senior staff.

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