EFI Standards apply to all fresh fruit and vegetable crops, focusing on three core components: labor practices, pesticide application, and food safety.
EFI Labor Standards: Labor indicators ensure that a safe, dignified and professional workplace is provided that promotes collaboration between management and farmworkers. The indicators include worker health and safety, freedom of association, fair wages, benefits and conditions of employment, freedom from discrimination and retaliation, dispute settlement, employer-provided housing, and protections for H2A and guest worker programs applicable to farmworkers.
EFI Pesticide Standards: Pesticide indicators promote an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, emphasizing the use of biological and cultural tools for crop and pest management rather than the use of highly hazardous pesticides, therefore minimizing the impact of pesticides on workers and the environment. The indicators include the management of pests, soil, water, and habitat, and promote IPM.
EFI Food Safety Standards: Food Safety indicators, including farmworker hygiene alongside water use, soil amendments, land use, animals, harvest, and post-harvest activities, are linked to worker training that creates a culture of food safety on the farm.
EFI Processing & Packing Standards: Processing & Packing indicators that must be met to receive and maintain EFI certification for farms that have their processing and packing operations in scope.
EFI Ethical Charter Addendum: The Addendum is based on the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices where most of its principles are already covered by the EFI Social Standards, however, the ECA covers additional items that were not included. This is audited in conjunction with the EFI Social Standards upon request by the grower.