Sprouts Farmers Market talks about values and community, but its actions tell a different story. When Sprouts builds stores, it often relies on contractors that do not prioritize hiring locally, and that undercut area wage standards, hurting working families and weakening local economies.

Sprouts Farmers Market markets itself as a responsible, community-focused grocer. In practice, its expansion model raises serious concerns for the communities asked to host its stores.

Sprouts has a record of using contractors that do not prioritize local hiring and that pay wages below established area standards. This approach takes work away from local tradespeople, lowers wage expectations, and pulls money out of the local economy. Instead of creating good local jobs, it contributes to a race to the bottom that hurts working families and small businesses alike.

This pattern fits a broader record of corporate behavior that raises red flags. Public records show Sprouts has reportedly faced federal investigations, lawsuits, and settlements alleging serious misconduct, including:

• Alleged sexual harassment and retaliation resolved through a federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission action involving a California store (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2024, https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/sprouts-farmers-market-resolves-eeoc-discrimination-charge)

• Alleged disability discrimination, with Sprouts paying $280,000 to settle federal lawsuits alleging failure to accommodate Deaf job applicants. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2011, https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/sprouts-farmers-market-pay-2800000-settle-eeoc-disability-discrimination-suits)

• Alleged age discrimination, with former employees filing complaints alleging denial of advancement. (Bloomberg Law, 2025, https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/sprouts-farmers-sued-by-worker-over-alleged-systemic-age-bias)

• Alleged misleading product marketing, with consumer class actions alleging Sprouts falsely marketed certain products as compostable. (Tyndall v. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. et al., 2025, https://www.classaction.org/news/sprouts-farmers-market-lawsuit-claims-disposable-tableware-not-as-compostable-as-advertised#embedded-document)

• Investor lawsuits, with shareholder class actions alleging misleading statements to investors. (Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LP, 2025, https://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases-sprouts-farmers-market-inc-class-action-lawsuit-sfm.html)

Taken together, these issues paint a picture of a company that cuts corners and shifts costs onto workers and communities.

A good neighbor hires locally, respects area wage standards, and strengthens the local economy. A bad neighbor brings in contractors with questionable track records, depresses wages, and leaves communities worse off. Sprouts’ record puts it firmly in the second category.

Why it matters:

When large corporations rely on low-road contractors and ignore local labor standards, the damage spreads beyond a single project.

Local workers lose job opportunities. Area wages are pushed down. Money that should circulate in the community instead leaves town. Combined with Sprouts’ history of workplace complaints and legal disputes, this expansion model raises serious concerns about long-term impacts on community stability and trust.

Our neighborhoods deserve employers that invest locally, respect workers, and contribute to strong local economies. Sprouts has not shown that it meets that standard.