The world is teeming with unethical supply chains, workers’ abuse, and forced labor — all of which play a part in producing, harvesting, or manufacturing the groceries we buy every week.

So, the question is, how can we feed ourselves and our families in the most ethical way? Where can we shop to ensure that our purchases align with fair labor practices and sustainable sourcing?

To answer these questions, let’s compare ethical practices in major supermarkets, such as Whole Foods, ALDI, Costco, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, and Walmart.

Disclaimer: Whenever possible, we should strive to keep our personal ethics and priorities in mind when shopping! However, personal context is important, and the most ethical options may not be accessible based on your location and financial circumstances. Instead of striving for perfection, we can focus on making informed choices when we can. Small, intentional changes add up!

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Whole Foods

Whole Foods sells an extensive selection of ethical products. Its in-house brand, “365,” has strong traceability programs, including third-party verifiers such as Fairtrade USA and Rainforest Alliance. Whole Foods also has a supply chain program, Sourced for Good, in partnership with Fair Trade USA, Fairtrade America, and Fair Food Program. In 2023, Sourced for Good provided over nine million dollars to farming communities to fund scholarships, healthcare, and worker welfare.  

However, the chain’s relatively higher prices are seen as a downside for many middle and lower-class households. Recently, Amazon acquired the brand, driving down costs but sparking other concerns for shoppers. Amazon has come under fire by the Department of Labor for unsafe worker conditions, including long hours and repeated tasks involving lifting and moving heavy items. The Guardian interviewed several Whole Foods employees after Amazon bought the company and reported an increase in understaffing, unmanageable workloads, and pressure, adding more stress to workers.

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ALDI

ALDI offers a large array of fair trade items, a clear investigation program, and transparency in its supply chains. These include a Social Monitoring Program (SMP) with third-party auditors and ALDI Sustainability Assessments (ASA), in which company representatives visit suppliers to evaluate their labor and production practices. In 2020, these efforts earned ALDI the Thomson Reuters Foundation Stop Slavery Award.

ALDI also has lofty sustainability goals set for 2025, such as reducing packaging material, achieving 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging, and using more post-consumer recycled (PCR) content.

ALDI previously faced allegations of supporting animal cruelty by sourcing from farms with animals in overcrowded facilities. Since these allegations in 2023, ALDI has worked to rectify this by adhering to stringent auditing guidelines when working with meat and dairy farms.

While ALDI currently offers a less extensive selection of ethical items than Whole Foods, it often has more affordable pricing while still maintaining decent supply chain standards. 

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Costco

Costco sells a variety of fair trade products and ethical produce. It has a thorough ethics code that prioritizes fair labor practices in supply chains. This code has strict guidelines for documenting any instances of abuse or exploitation among its suppliers.

The wholesale company has been praised for high employee and customer satisfaction but has faced criticism over potential ties to Chinese forced labor. US lawmakers have called for more transparency in its sourcing after allegations surfaced regarding its seafood supply.

Environmentalists have called on the company to reduce its “excessive” and “wasteful” packaging, to which Costo responded with new commitments to reducing plastic waste. Overall, Costco appears to prioritize its customers’ and employees’ happiness while auditing its suppliers for any unethical labor practices.

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Kroger

Kroger is a large supermarket chain with 2,750 locations. It has implemented a vendor code of conduct and other standards, such as audits and trainings in line with the California Transparency in Supply Chain Act of 2010. Its brand Simple Truth® has “launched 80+ Fair Trade Certified products that support communities in more than 19 countries across the world and has generated over $1 million in Community Development Funds.”

The US Department of Labor found several youth worker violations in Kroger’s facilities, including the hiring of minors aged 15, 16, and 17 to work in hazardous conditions and exceed standard working hours. Kroger has also had supply chain controversies, including connections to a labor contractor accused of human trafficking and agricultural suppliers of tomatoes and watermelons accused of forced labor and worker abuse. Overall, critics say that Kroger could have higher standards in place and use its leverage for much more ethical sourcing.

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Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s is a fan favorite for many shoppers for its high-quality products at competitive prices. Surprisingly, the brand falls behind in terms of transparency in sourcing. While Trader Joe’s offers some explicitly fair trade products, such as certain coffees, teas, and cocoas, it lacks a firm, vocal explanation of how it investigates and eliminates exploitation in its supply chains, unlike Whole Foods and ALDI. While this does not necessarily mean that it deals with unethical suppliers, it does lead to doubt from customers. Without clear policies and strong public commitments to addressing potential labor violations, Trader Joe’s risks losing consumer trust.

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Walmart:

Walmart is the country’s largest supermarket by market share and could be extremely influential in sourcing ethical products. While Walmart has made a strong, written commitment to sustainability, it has not yet placed the same level of emphasis on fair trade practices. However, the Walmart Foundation is currently working with Fair Trade USA “to support the creation of a more scalable and sustainable impact model,” which could significantly advance ethical sourcing and set a stronger industry standard.

On the other hand, Walmart has faced criticisms for anti-worker treatment. These include the same controversies as Kroger for selling tomatoes and watermelons from suppliers found guilty of using forced labor. It has also faced allegations of illegal union busting in California, use of forced Uyghur labor in China, and child labor in the US.

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All in all, Whole Foods, ALDI, and Costco appear to have the strongest investments in ethical sourcing compared to competitors at this time. However, all major chains should strengthen their commitment to eliminating forced labor by increasing transparency, continuing to audit suppliers, and partnering with fair trade certifying organizations.

When shopping, be sure to follow these tips to make more ethical and informed purchasing decisions:

• Support local grocery stores that source from local farms. This is where your support has the most impact. On a local scale, your purchases can make much more of a difference for a small business’ success. If local markets and farms know their customers value ethical labor practices, they will likely do their best to offer those options. Plus, this allows money to stay in the local economy, employs local people, and cuts down on emissions from transportation.
• Look for symbols that show products have been verified to high standards, such as Fairtrade International, Fair Trade USA, World Fair Trade Organization, and B Corp Certification. Visit stopmoderndayslavery.org to learn more about fair trade and ethical certifications and products associated with unfair labor practices. 

Ultimately, ethical grocery shopping requires ongoing consumer vigilance and support for retailers and products that prioritize fair labor practices. If a grocery store sees an increased demand for ethically produced goods, it will have to provide more. Remember that by “voting with your wallet,” you can make a difference in the lives of the people around the world who contribute to bringing food to your table.