Building human rights capability across fresh food supply chains

Fresh Del Monte’s approach to how we train supply chain partners on human rights and fair labor standards begins with a straightforward idea: written expectations protect people only when people across a farm can recognise a violation, raise a concern and influence the response. Training therefore connects supplier policies with daily decisions about recruitment, work schedules, pay, safety, accommodation and discipline.

For Australian buyers, the context is concrete. Produce moves through wholesale and fresh-food distribution networks in Melbourne and Sydney, while Australian Border Force and biosecurity controls make traceability records central to import clearance. Those commercial controls do not establish fair labour, yet they create a practical bridge between knowing where produce came from and understanding the conditions under which it was grown.

Why partner capability determines labour outcomes

Responsible sourcing cannot end with a supplier code, a signed contract or a completed audit. Those tools establish expectations and identify risks, but suppliers still need the knowledge and practical authority to act on them. A farm manager must know how to verify a recruiter’s claims, challenge an improper deduction or respond when a worker reports discrimination. Training turns policy requirements into decisions that people can apply under normal operating pressure.

We take a risk-based approach to this capability. Sites with intensive seasonal hiring, extensive use of labour brokers, poor accommodation or repeated safety findings receive more direct support than lower-risk operations. Managers, human resources staff, supervisors, contractors and worker representatives each have different responsibilities, so training is adapted by role rather than delivered as one generic course to every audience.

The objective is lasting capability rather than attendance. We assess whether participants can apply the standards, whether workers can use the available channels without fear of reprisal, and whether identified problems lead to corrective action. This helps procurement teams move beyond statements of compliance and gives operational leaders a clearer basis for deciding when further monitoring, remediation or changes to sourcing are needed.

What fair labour training needs to cover

The curriculum starts with internationally recognised principles, including the International Labour Organization’s fundamental principles and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Participants explore forced labour, child labour, discrimination, harassment, freedom of movement, employment relationships and the prohibition of retaliation. These concepts are translated into situations that can occur on a farm, packing facility or labour recruitment operation.

Fair labour extends beyond wages. Modules address recruitment fees, transparent contracts, accurate working-time records, rest and leave, safe termination, accommodation, access to drinking water, personal protective equipment and the safe handling of pesticides. Health and safety are treated as a labour-rights issue because excessive hours, heat exposure or fear of dismissal can restrict a worker’s ability to raise concerns. Grievance pathways and remediation are included from the outset rather than added after a complaint.

Legal context must also be accurate. For Australian operations, Fair Work Ombudsman guidance and the National Employment Standards provide the domestic reference point. Most partner farms are overseas, where Australian employment law does not automatically apply, so supplier requirements use internationally recognised standards as a common baseline without suggesting that Australian law extends to every overseas operation.

A single global module cannot serve every location. The Hawaiian Pride operation in Hawaii, for example, illustrates the value of content adapted to local crop cycles, languages, worker communities and the physical demands of fieldwork. A session for supervisors handling seasonal distribution work in Melbourne will have different examples, risks and reporting routes from one used with growers and field crews in Hawaii.

Delivering training that people can use

Effective delivery is local, practical and accessible. Sessions are conducted in relevant languages, supported by pictures and real scenarios, and scheduled around harvesting, packing and shift changes. Separate discussions allow workers to speak without a supervisor present and give managers a chance to work through operational constraints. Materials are adapted for different literacy levels, and digital modules are used only when they improve access rather than replace conversation.

We also support train-the-trainer models in which qualified local trainers prepare supervisors and worker representatives to continue the work. Periodic observation checks that lessons are not diluted or turned into a compliance speech. Workers need to know which channels are confidential, how cases are escalated and what protections apply when they raise a concern. A training failure occurs when a worker knows the standard but feels unsafe reporting a breach.

Community organisations can add local trust where formal reporting channels are weak. Our account of a local NGO partnership on clean drinking water in farming communities shows how practical support and worker welfare intersect: safe water reduces hardship, while trusted local contacts may help identify recruitment, pay or safety concerns. Water provision does not by itself verify fair labour, so it should complement due diligence, training and remedy.

Different formats serve different purposes, and their quality should be assessed through what participants can apply afterwards.

Measuring training where worker outcomes matter

Measurement should combine evidence about participation, understanding and corrective action. Completion records show who received training, but they cannot establish whether workers understood their rights or whether a site changed its practices. More useful evidence includes pre- and post-training questions, observations by an independent reviewer, interviews conducted safely with workers, grievance trends and the time taken to resolve concerns.

A credible training baseline helps procurement and sustainability teams compare sites without creating false precision. Data should be reviewed by location, role and employment type so that access gaps become visible. Findings must be connected to operational decisions rather than kept in a separate reporting system. Where a supplier cannot demonstrate progress, additional coaching and closer follow-up should be required before risk is accepted.

A credible training baseline

• Relevant managers, supervisors, recruiters and workers receive role-specific instruction
• Local-language materials and accessible grievance options are available at each site
• Every material finding has a named owner, deadline and documented verification

Signs of stronger worker protection

• Workers can explain how to raise a concern without facing reprisal
• Grievance cases are handled consistently, confidentially and within defined timeframes
• Repeat labour, safety or recruitment findings trigger stronger monitoring or sourcing action
• Procurement decisions reflect unresolved risk and completed remediation

Training should influence commercial decisions as well as operational plans. If an issue remains unresolved, responses may include enhanced monitoring, limits on recruitment practices, corrective investment or suspension of a supplier. This approach aligns with the wider environmental, social and governance commitments described through Fresh Del Monte CSR, where responsible sourcing sits alongside work on land, water and communities.

Turning capability into durable performance

A training event is one part of a continuous improvement cycle. New workers need induction, experienced employees need refreshers, and changing risks require revised material. Training should follow a significant incident, a new recruitment practice or a seasonal workforce surge. Managers then need support after the session because policies, scheduling, payroll and purchasing decisions must make the correct behaviour possible.

The same discipline must reflect Australian workforce realities. Seasonal and casual workers, multilingual crews and labour hire can obscure who employs whom. Fair Work Ombudsman guidance explains how the National Employment Standards apply, while state labour hire licensing schemes improve oversight in participating jurisdictions. Training must reach supervisors, recruiters and workers on heat-related safety, pesticide management, lawful deductions and employment records, particularly in regional growing areas.

At company level, procurement, operations, human resources and sustainability teams need one evidence trail connecting supplier risks to training, worker concerns and purchasing choices. That prevents labour findings from becoming isolated from business decisions. The practical takeaway is to treat every training session as the start of a verification cycle: define the labour risks, equip the people who manage work, give workers safe ways to respond, and close the loop with evidence from the farm.