Equitable Food Initiative
International Certification Label for Responsible Farming
How do you communicate a new farm certification covering improved working conditions, pesticide management, and food safety? We developed a seal to do just that.
Services
- Market Research
- Consumer Interviews
- Messaging
- Design
- Consumer Testing
- Brand Style Guide
EQUITABLE FOOD INITIATIVE
We bring together growers, farmworkers, retailers, and consumers to transform agriculture and improve the lives of farmworkers.
Researching the Marketplace
Do consumers care about farmworkers? Our process started with in-depth research to assess the marketplace and learn how consumers responded to food-certification seals. We also assessed the competition and studied the language and symbols that would best convey the values behind this seal.
In a crowded landscape of certifications, the seal had to be easily recognizable by consumers and clearly indicate the high standards for safety and working conditions that it represents.
Developing the Language
We worked with consortium members to determine the language we should use on the seal. We explored different ways to frame the message — around the farmworker, the EFI brand, and the key values of the certification. The goal was a seal that consumers could trust—a trustmark.
PROPOSED LANGUAGE
An EFI Certified Farm
Ethical Farm Certified
Meets Ethical Farm Standards
Meets EFI Responsible Farming Standards
A Responsible Stewardship Farm
Meets Responsible Farming Standards
Seal of Responsible Farming
Responsibly Grown. Farmworker Assured.
MESSAGE FRAMING 1: Farmworker Focus
- Brings out the key point of difference of EFI — that the workers are involved in the monitoring process and that they are more concerned because of their better treatment and working conditions.
- May not be as meaningful as a benefit to consumers.
SUGGESTED LANGUAGE
Farmworker Assured Produce
Empowered Worker Farm Culture
MESSAGE FRAMING 2: EFI as a Brand
- Includes EFI on the label.
- EFI will have to be given meaning in the marketplace, it does not yet convey status.
PROPOSED LANGUAGE
Meets EFI Standards
Meets EFI Responsible Farming Standards
An EFI Certified Farm EFI Certified Produce
MESSAGE FRAMING 3: Responsible
- Indicates the attitude of EFI farms in terms of caring and active sense of accountability.
PROPOSED LANGUAGE
A Responsible Stewardship Farm
Meets Responsible Farming Standards
Seal of Responsible Farming
Certified Responsible Farm
Responsible to Workers, Environment, and Food Safety
Responsibly Grown. Farmworker Assured.
MESSAGE FRAMING 4: Ethical
- A wider way of framing the issue.
- Appeals to people’s sense of fairness and justice without being too specific.
- Avoids the quality and safety issue.
PROPOSED LANGUAGE
Ethical Farm Certified
Meets Ethical Farm Standards
MESSAGE FRAMING 5: Standards
- Highlights that the produce meets specific standards, measurable criteria that not all food sources attain.
PROPOSED LANGUAGE
Elevated Farm Standards
Designing the Seal
The selected message was: Responsibly Grown. Farmworker Assured. We designed different visual approaches to quickly communicate the concept. The designs had to be:
- distinguished from other certification seals
- clear when reproduced in small sizes
- stand out on busy packaging
- understood in different countries
Testing the Concepts
Several designs were chosen for consumer testing via surveys to the consortium’s members and the general public. People were asked to rate the designs based on various criteria. We also asked open-ended questions to elicit specific language, tone, and issues with various labels.
With insights from the survey, a final label design was selected and then refined, communicating a message about food safety and farm practices.
The Winning Seal
The seal that resonated most with consumers was the simplest one, with no image. The design was simplified and colored in a bright green to stand out on produce packages.
Ensuring Consistency in the Use of the Seal
We created a guide that specified how to use the seal on packaging, the language to describe the certification, the official terms to use, and talking points, so members around the world could easily talk about and use the certification.
The Seal in Use
48
certified farms in the U.S. Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru
60,000
farmworkers working on farms with EFI-trained leadership teams
$12 million
generated in worker bonuses
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