Certification Assures Consumers that Chiquita Bananas Are Grown Using
Sustainable Production Techniques
CINCINNATI, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Since her first appearance
in 1944, Miss Chiquita has become one of the best known brand icons in the
fruit industry. However, Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (NYSE: CQB) will
now be filling supermarket shelves in nine European markets with bananas also
labeled as Rainforest Alliance-certified. This new label, which brings
together the Miss Chiquita icon and the Rainforest Alliance's frog logo,
reflects Chiquita's ongoing commitment to the Rainforest Alliance's stringent
social and environmental standards.
"As bananas are the No. 1-selling product in most grocery stores, to have
a company like Chiquita adopt responsible cultivation practices has far-
reaching benefits for the environment, farm workers and the consumer," said
Chris Wille, director of sustainable agriculture programs at the Rainforest
Alliance. "The Rainforest Alliance-certified seal will help consumers
recognize Chiquita's commitment and investment, and therefore allow them to
make an informed decision about what they buy."
Chiquita has been incorporating Rainforest Alliance criteria into its
farming practices since 1992, and the company is now able to source enough
bananas from certified farms to guarantee their availability in supermarkets
across Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway,
Sweden and Switzerland.
"Consumers today are faced with many choices when they shop at the
supermarket, and this new label lets people know that a Chiquita banana is not
just a healthy, high-quality fruit, but also that it was grown using
sustainable production techniques by people who enjoy among the best working
conditions in the industry," said Michel Loeb, president of Chiquita Fresh
Group - Europe. "When you buy a banana with the Rainforest Alliance-Chiquita
seal, we believe you are buying a better banana."
To achieve Rainforest Alliance certification, every Chiquita farm has to
implement more than 200 criteria, covering protection of the environment and
biodiversity as well as fair treatment of workers and good workplace
conditions. The Rainforest Alliance partners with local environmental
organizations to review compliance with these criteria on each farm every
year.
According to Raul Gomez, manager of a Chiquita farm in Costa Rica, the
changes have been beneficial and far-reaching. "Since Chiquita has applied the
Rainforest Alliance standards, we have seen so many positive changes. We've
stopped using pesticides whenever possible. We have planted hundred of trees.
We are trained in environmental management and protection, and then put this
education into practice so that our children can also benefit."
Chiquita not only meets the Rainforest Alliance standards, but also
focuses further on worker rights through its certification to Social
Accountability 8000 (SA8000), a comprehensive and verifiable standard based on
International Labor Organization and other human rights conventions, as well
as its groundbreaking labor rights framework agreement with regional and
international unions. This framework agreement, which is unique in the banana
industry, was signed by the IUF (International Union of Food Workers), COLSIBA
(Coalition of Unions of Latin American Banana Workers) and Chiquita on June
14, 2001, in the offices of the International Labor Organization in Geneva.
The Rainforest Alliance (http://www.ra.org) is an international, environmental
organization whose mission is to protect ecosystems and the people and
wildlife that depend on them by transforming land-use and business practices
as well as consumer behavior. With 25,000 members and projects in nearly 60
countries, the Rainforest Alliance is recognized as a world leader in the
successful design and implementation of conservation measures.
Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (http://www.chiquita.com) is a leading
international marketer and distributor of high-quality fresh and value-added
produce, which is sold under the Chiquita(R) premium brand and related
trademarks. The company is one of the largest banana producers in the world
and a major supplier of bananas in Europe and North America. In June 2005,
Chiquita acquired Fresh Express(R), the U.S. market leader in value-added
salads, a fast-growing food category for grocery retailers, foodservice
providers and quick-service restaurants.
SOURCE Chiquita Brands International, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.chiquita.com
http://www.ra.org
CONTACT:
Michael Mitchell of Chiquita Brands
International, Inc., +1-513-784-8959, or mmitchell@chiquita.com
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