Consumers upset with Darigold have filed a federal class action lawsuit against the cooperative, claiming it misrepresents the way its member suppliers treat animals and their workers. The cooperative says it does not misrepresent anything.
Darigold misrepresented labor and animal care conditions in its 2010 marketing and reporting materials, according to anews release by Farmworker Justice, a nonprofit litigation and advocacy group. The group, along with the Law Offices of Marcos Camacho, will serve as co-counsel for the consumers.“Although Darigold publicly claims that their participating farms ensure care for animal health, promote food safety and provide labor protections, workers have regularly reported labor and animal rights violations and poor working conditions on suppliers’ farms,” the release reads.
“The filing states that milk is produced from injured and sick cows, and that workers do not have access to drinkable water, sanitary lunch rooms or rest breaks. Workers also claim ongoing wage theft and workplace discrimination.”Darigold, responding to the lawsuit it claims misrepresents the cooperative, says it is proud of the more than 500 family farms that provide product for the cooperative and it is confident the lawsuit will fail.
“After review of the claims we are confident that they are meritless and will fail in the course of litigation,” General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs Steve Rowe said in a prepared statement. “The claims that our dairy producers do not adequately take care of their employees or animals is not only inaccurate, it is offensive to generations of our dairy farm families and the employees who care for the animals.” PD
—Summarized by PD staff from cited sources
