Ahold to Migrant Justice: “we’re open to constructive dialogue and engagement”

Migrant Justice has recently returned from a week in the Netherlands, where we traveled to take the fight for Milk with Dignity to the corporate owners of Hannaford Supermarket. The visit marked a new set of achievements in the campaign, bringing us one step closer to expanding essential protections for farmworker rights. 

The escalation in the campaign coincides with the publication in The Guardian of a compelling two-part series on dairy workers’ fight for Milk with Dignity. The articles are a must-read. Check them out here and here!

For years, farmworkers have called on Hannaford – one of the largest buyers of dairy in our region – to protect the rights of farmworkers in its supply chain by joining the Milk with Dignity Program. Thousands of workers and consumers have taken action to denounce abuses on farms supplying Hannaford-brand milk. As Hannaford has responded with denials and false solutions, farmworkers have expanded the campaign to its parent company, Ahold Delhaize, the Netherlands-based $100 billion grocery conglomerate.

The weeklong visit revolved around Ahold’s annual meeting of shareholders, where Migrant Justice representatives and allied investors shared farmworkers’ testimonies and demands directly with the company. While Ahold has not yet committed to join Milk with Dignity, the CEO and top executives repeatedly affirmed the importance of the issue and committed to dialogue with Migrant Justice.

2026 marked our second year of in-person participation in Ahold’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) of shareholders. The Migrant Justice delegation used proxy votes from allied investors at Domini Impact Investments and United Church Funds to enter the meeting and directly question company executives and board members. Our AGM interventions pressure the corporation, engage shareholders in the campaign, and get the company on the record in a forum that legally bars misrepresentation and misleading statements.

Migrant Justice representatives read farmworker testimony and asked a number of questions at the AGM, receiving responses from Ahold Delhaize CEO Frans Muller and Ahold Delhaize USA CEO JJ Fleeman. Questions focused on past, unfulfilled commitments to dialogue, the pending OECD human rights complaint (see below), and the “Human Rights Impact Assessment” of the Northeast US dairy supply chain commissioned at the previous year’s AGM.

Our questions were echoed by those from other shareholders concerned about the human rights violations revealed by Migrant Justice. Both prior to and during the meeting, major investors raised the issue of Milk with Dignity with Ahold, increasing the pressure on the company to respond.

Muller and Fleeman did not commit to joining Milk with Dignity; nor did they agree to publish the findings of the Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA). The company did, however, claim to be “working with suppliers on a timebound workplan that implements the [HRIA] report’s recommendations.” They reiterated a desire to “have proper working conditions for folks in the agricultural supply chain” and renewed a commitment to dialogue with Migrant Justice. Following the meeting, Ahold executives sought out our delegation to continue the conversation and further commit to future engagement.

The week also saw two rallies at Ahold headquarters. In the Netherlands, we unfurled a 20-foot-long banner reading Ahold: Listen to Farmworkers in English and Dutch. Two dozen supporters passed out flyers with photos and testimonies of farmworkers in Hannaford’s supply chain. 

Migrant Justice and supporters enered the Zaandam, Netherlands headquarters of Ahold Delhaize and unfurled a banner reading Ahold: Listen to Farmworkers

Supporters passed out flyers and taped up posters around the lobby of the company headquarters

Posters included photos and testimonies of farmworkers in Ahold's US dairy supply chain denouncing abuses and calling for transparency and action

Meanwhile, in the US, a group drove through a spring snowstorm to Ahold’s Quincy, Massachusetts offices. As the European delegation prepared to enter the AGM in the Netherlands, farmworkers and allies held a press conference in front of the headquarters of Ahold’s US division.

Farmworkers and allies gathered in front of Ahold USA headquarters, also home to Ahold subsidiary Stop & Shop

Farmworkers held a press conference to draw attention to the European delegation and push Ahold to take action

The visit to the Netherlands also included meetings, presentations, and panels across the country with academics, labor unions, investors, and civil society organizations to build transnational solidarity and expand the Dutch base of support for Milk with Dignity. At the Institute for Social Studies in The Hague and at University of Amsterdam, Migrant Justice organized presentations alongside the Dutch Agroecology Network and others.

Straight from the Annual General Meeting, Marita and Will from Migrant Justice spoke in a rooftop seminar at the University of Amsterdam

At the Institute for Social Studies of Erasmus University in The Hague, Migrant Justice presented alongside other workers organizations and labor unions. Marita shared a panel with Pawel Rudzki, an Ahold warehouse worker and union member who was fired in retaliation for organizing.

Finally, we traveled to the Dutch Foreign Ministry in The Hague to meet with the National Contact Point (NCP) of the OECD Guidelines on Responsible Conduct for Multinational Enterprises. Last year – directly prior to Ahold’s Annual General Meeting – Migrant Justice had submitted a complaint about Ahold’s human rights violations. After a year of investigation, the NCP is poised to issue an initial assessment. If the assessment determines that our complaint is admissible, the NCP will offer to serve as a mediator to facilitate a dialogue between Migrant Justice and Ahold.

The week garnered a number of hits in the Dutch press. Read and watch coverage from De Orkaan and Noordhollands Dagblad (just be sure to enable translations on your browser!). The coverage builds on past exposés of Ahold’s role in farmworker exploitation, including from De Correspondent.

Dutch press covered the actions in The Netherlands, bringing the Milk with Dignity campaign to a new audience and increasing the pressure on Ahold in their home country

Migrant Justice returns to the U.S. with new promises of dialogue and collaboration – and with additional pledges to improve supply chain conditions – but without yet a commitment to join Milk with Dignity. Thanks to farmworkers’ tenacity and courage, Ahold understands that this is not a problem that will go away on its own; they see the momentum growing and are opening the door further to discussion. But farmworkers don’t want just dialogue; they demand action. Ahold and Hannaford must join Milk with Dignity without further delay. 

The fight for Milk with Dignity now returns to Vermont. Mark your calendars for the upcoming May 1st all-day picket of Hannaford Supermarket in Williston!