Vermont Business Magazine An international human rights complaint alleging abuses in the dairy supply chain of Hannaford Supermarket is moving forward, bringing Hannaford’s parent company into mediation with farmworkers. The decision comes in the midst of a years-long campaign urging the Northeast supermarket chain to improve labor conditions and protect workers’ rights on dairy farms.
In April, 2025, Vermont-based farmworker organization Migrant Justice submitted a complaint with the Dutch government alleging abuses on dairy farms supplying Hannaford Supermarket. After a year of investigation and deliberation, the National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct in the Netherlands (The Hague, Netherlands) has concluded that the complaint should move forward. In response, Netherlands-based multinational corporation Ahold Delhaize – parent company of Hannaford Supermarket – has agreed to enter into mediation with Migrant Justice.
“This is a victory for farmworkers,” said Migrant Justice spokesperson Thelma Gómez. “For years, we have urged Hannaford to sit at the table with us, to hear directly about conditions on their farms, and to partner with us to protect workers. Thanks to this ruling, that long-overdue conversation will finally begin.”
Since 2019, Migrant Justice has invited Hannaford to join the Milk with Dignity Program to address widespread labor abuses on dairy farms supplying Hannaford-brand milk. Farmworkers created Milk with Dignity to address low pay, poor conditions, and systemic human rights violations in the Northeast dairy industry. In 2017, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream became the first company to join Milk with Dignity. The agreement was heralded by the New York Times as a step to “improve migrant dairy workers’ conditions.”
Through Milk with Dignity agreements, companies agree to source dairy from farms that comply with a comprehensive, worker-authored code of conduct. Buyers pay a premium to participating farms, Migrant Justice educates workers on their rights in the program, and a third-party auditor – the Milk with Dignity Standards Council (MDSC) – monitors farms’ compliance. Milk with Dignity has resulted in millions of dollars in premium payments to farms for investments into improved wages and labor conditions. The Program has extensively documented the positive impact on farms and farmworkers and has been independently lauded for the effectiveness of its unique model.
Pressure has grown on Hannaford and its parent company in recent months. A farmworker-led picket earlier this month led to Hannaford closing a store hours early. Just weeks prior, Migrant Justice traveled to the Netherlands and addressed Ahold Delhaize executives directly at the company’s shareholder meeting. The Milk with Dignity campaign has received support from national faith organizations, labor and climate groups, agricultural organizations, elected officials, Ahold’s own shareholders, and thousands of Hannaford customers who have sent emails, written postcards, made calls, and attended rallies.
While Hannaford has thus far resisted the calls to join the Program, Milk with Dignity continues to expand. Migrant Justice has partnered with organic brand Vermont Way Foods to launch a new “Cheese with Dignity” product, on store shelves this month.
Now, a Dutch governmental body has sustained Migrant Justice’s complaint alleging violations of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The 76-page filing includes extensive documentation of human rights violations in Ahold’s U.S. dairy supply chain, as well as significant evidence of Ahold’s failure to exercise due diligence to stop abuses against farmworkers. The complaint points to Ahold and Hannaford’s false solutions – including a hotline that fails to investigate calls and employer self-assessments that fail to uncover violations – and urges the corporation to join Milk with Dignity.
The Dutch National Contact Point (NCP) for Responsible Business Conduct – a unit of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague – investigated the complaint for 13 months before issuing its “Initial Assessment.” In that assessment, the NCP finds that Migrant Justice’s complaint meets the body’s criteria to warrant further examination. While the memorandum notes that an initial assessment does not signify a ruling on the complaint’s merits, the decision allows the NCP to proceed with further investigation and a final determination on Ahold’s potential violations of OECD Guidelines.
5.27.2026. Burlington, Migrant Justice
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