LOS ANGELES — An activist group here is calling on Tesco to act more “socially responsible” when it begins rolling out its Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market stores in the Southwest later this year. The Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College here yesterday issued a 72-page report charging that the global retail giant, which is based in Cheshunt, England, doesn’t always put its money where its mouth is when it advertises the benefits it brings to communities. “We believe a measure of accountability needs to be established,” said Amanda Shaffer, director of communications for the UEPI and one of the authors of the report. The group called on Tesco to open more stores serving low-income communities, hire more full-time workers rather than part-timers, strive for local sourcing and minimize its environmental impact. In a press conference discussing the study, the group also called upon other supermarket companies to adhere to the same principles of social responsibility that it is asking of the British retailer. Tesco could not be reached for comment on the report.
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