Asda has announced that they will source '100% sustainable' bananas from March 2016, with 93% from the Rainforest Alliance-certified farms, and the other 7% from Fairtrade-certified producers.
The route to sustainability does not end with certification said Michael Gidney, Fairtrade Foundation CEO. "Real sustainability starts with farmers being paid a fair price for their produce – a fundamental issue in the banana industry." he said.
Only Fairtrade includes the payment of Fairtrade prices and additional premiums for small farmers and workers to invest in their own development.
"In the context of UK supermarket price wars, ensuring farms earn the cost of production is a key assurance the public is looking for, whether on bananas from Latin America or milk from the UK." said Gidney.
"In 2014, over 181,000 emails were sent to Asda and Tesco asking them to increase availability of Fairtrade bananas in their stores. In Asda’s case, they were asking for it to be increased beyond the current 7%. We’re disappointed that public demand is still unheeded." he said.
