It’s easier to call a company out on its misconduct rather than on the things it does well. Negligence and malpractice make better headlines. However, Bon Appétit has just signed an agreement that signifies a victory for farm workers, human rights activists, and fair wage advocates. It has done something commendable, and has sought very little recognition for its work.

Bon Appétit has signed an agreement with the Coalition for Immokalee Workers (CIW), a grassroots organization founded in Florida in 1993, which focuses on securing better working conditions for workers on tomato farms. According to documents published on the Bon Appétit website, the new code of conduct features an hourly wage above the mandated minimum, as well as proper protective equipment, an employee-controlled safety and health committee, and third party monitoring to ensure transparency between grower, worker, and buyer.

According to the CEO of Bon Appétit, the company buys almost five million pounds of tomatoes a year. The far-reaching impacts of this code of conduct cannot be overstated. Most believe that chattel slavery is an institution that has not existed in the United States for hundreds of years. But many CIW farmers will say something quite different.

CIW is waging an Anti-Slavery campaign that has resulted in the prosecution of several operations in and around Florida that have undeniably violated the human rights of their workers. Employers were accused of holding workers against their will, committing identity theft, withholding wages, and administering repeated beatings. Some workers reported being chained inside U-Haul trailers, while others claimed that employers hooked them on alcohol and crack to force them into debt. In each of these instances the employers were sentenced to jail time ranging from four to 30 years in prison.

Bon Appétit was not CIW’s only victory. In 2005, CIW’s Campaign for Fair Food led fast-food corporations like Taco Bell, Burger King, and McDonald’s to sign landmark agreements mandating an increase in pay per pound of tomatoes, a stronger code of conduct, and the creation of a third-party monitoring system.  Whole Foods, Subway, Aramark, Sodexo, and Compass Group have all also signed agreements with CIW.  The organization is now focusing its attention on supermarkets, most notably Stop & Shop.

Unless you read the tiny blurb printed in the plastic holders on the tables in Usdan or read the Bon Appétit website on a regular basis, it is unlikely that you have heard of the agreement. Bon Appétit has not sought much praise from the student body for their actions.

But this should not be the end of Bon Appétit’s partnership with human rights and food justice organizations. There are many things that could be changed, from getting rid of factory-farmed meat, to transitioning away from liquid to hard-shell eggs, to buying more local produce, to getting rid of bottled water. Bon Appétit’s influence extends to over 400 schools and companies across 29 states.  If they set the standard, as they have with the CIW agreement, other food services will follow suit. So while this op-ed is a congratulations to the company, it is also a request that they continue their work in this direction.

Fine is a member of the class of 2013