Countywide : Vons’ Ads for Grapes Protested

Angered by the Vons supermarket chain’s decision to resume advertising of California table grapes, about 60 protesters picketed a Santa Ana store Thursday afternoon to pitch their message about pesticide dangers faced by farm workers.

In a demonstration organized by the United Farm Workers, the protesters stationed themselves at the store entrance and along the parking lot perimeter of the Vons at 230 N. Harbor Blvd. The protesters, many of them farm workers, handed out literature alleging that the grapes are tainted by pesticides that endanger farm workers.

Vons spokeswoman Vickie Sanders said Vons, like the California Department of Food and Agriculture, has found the grapes safe for consumption.

A handful of Santa Ana police officers watched the protest for about two hours, but there were no confrontations. Vons assistant manager Cindy Casey said the store did not call the police and suggested that a customer may have done so.

From last summer until three months ago, the UFW had been picketing Vons stores regularly because the supermarket chain refused to stop advertising table grapes. Then Vons agreed to stop grape advertisements, and the picketing ceased.

But after the California Table Grape Commission sued Vons over stopping the grape ads, Vons resumed them last month.

“We had an agreement with Vons,” Cypress College instructor Enriqueta Ramos said Thursday as she directed groups of pickets around the Vons parking lot. “And we had a nice little honeymoon, and I told all family and friends it was OK to shop there again. But then they changed their mind and started again--so we’re back.”

By persuading Vons, the Southland’s largest supermarket chain and top grape purchaser, to tone down its support of the fruit, the UFW hoped to gain economic leverage to push grape growers to improve workers’ conditions.

Sanders said Vons resumed its grape ads after learning that UFW founder and President Cesar Chavez planned to pressure other supermarkets to end their grape ads also.

“Mr. Chavez publicly said he was going to meet with other chains and use the agreement to get them to do the same thing,” Sanders said. “So our agreement was going to affect other business advertising.” Sanders said that prompted the growers to file an antitrust suit, which resulted in a settlement resurrecting the table grape advertising.

UFW organizer Andres Irlando said weekly protests are scheduled for Vons Orange County locations.