Food justice groups end boycott of Amy's Kitchen

The conflict between food justice advocates and health food provider Amy's Kitchen has ended peacefully.

This food war probably went unnoticed by everyone, but after about two and a half years, Food Empowerment Project is ending its boycott of Amy's Kitchen, said Alejandra Torrey.

“That was tough for us because we love Amy's Kitchen,” Torrey said.

Food justice organization Food Empowerment Project (FEP) advocates for fair working conditions, ethical sourcing and labor practices, veganism, and animal rights.

Tory said the boycott of Amy's Kitchen put them in an awkward position given Amy's status as a leading vegetarian and vegan food company.

“So it was really hard for us to boycott them because we enjoy their food so much,” Tory said. “But we also need to make sure that we demand higher standards from these businesses.”

Tory said the campaign was driven by concerns expressed by employees at Amy's Santa Rosa plant.

“We met with Santa Rosa workers in February 2022 and they said they were demanding higher wages, reliable health care and improved workplace health and safety,” Tory said.

After eight months of discussions between Amy's employees, FEP representatives and Amy's Kitchen executives, Tory said the boycott is over.

“This is a worker-led effort, and the boycott is not being called off just because workers feel their demands have been met,” Tory said. “We plan to reach out to Amy's Kitchen in a year's time to see if these changes are still in place.”

Amy's Kitchen is also celebrating the end of the boycott.

AMY President Paul Schieffer said he was “pleased with the learnings and progress” made during the talks.

He said his talks with workers and the food empowerment project have helped him understand how to better communicate with Amy's workers and meet their needs.

Tory sees the end of the boycott as a victory.

“We're really grateful that Amy's Kitchen is beginning to listen to its employees,” Tolley said, “and we're glad that their employees feel heard and supported by the community.”

Torrey said employees have noticed increased health and safety precautions over the past two years, and that Amy's has agreed to a 3 percent pay increase, improved communication about health care benefits, consideration for employees affected by sudden layoffs at Amy's San Jose plant in 2022 and a halt to hiring a labor relations consultant.