Walmart says it will join the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Fair Food Program, an initiative which will require Florida suppliers to pay higher wages and provide other worker protections. Growers failing to meet the improved pay and labor standards are to be banned from selling produce to participating companies, according to the terms of the program. A spokesperson for the coalition says the group welcomes Walmart's participation, given its market strength and consumer reach.

"Through this collaboration, not only will thousands of hard-working farmworkers see concrete improvements to their lives, but millions of consumers will learn about the Fair Food Program and of a better way to buy fruits and vegetables grown and harvested here in the U.S," says Cruz Salacio, a spokesman for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

Participants in the Fair Food Program now include McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, Yum Brands and Whole Foods, among others.