73% of Spanish consumers take ethical or sustainability reasons into account when doing their groceries. Aiming to meet this demand, Bonduelle has launched its "Pesticide residue free" corn.
Pesticide residues are the remains of natural or chemical substances intended to protect crops. The 'No pesticide residue' guarantee means that no active chemical pesticide has been detected, or that the quantity present is so small that it cannot even be measured (0.01 mg / kg). The company works with accredited external laboratories that help guarantee the supply of corn without quantifiable residues. To this end, more than 500 corn molecules are analyzed, making this guarantee completely transparent.
"At Bonduelle, we are committed to protecting the future of the planet and we want to set an example in the field of vegetable food," says Jorge Alonso, Marketing Director of Bonduelle Ibérica. "With the new 'Pesticide residue free' corn, we achieve a double positive impact: a healthy diet for the consumer, and the promotion of a sustainable agriculture that pursues to obtain the best from nature."
For more than 160 years, Bonduelle has been working with its partners in the development of a more responsible agriculture. To obtain products such as the 'Pesticide residue free' corn, the brand proposes the use of environmentally-friendly cultivation practices.
In 1996, the company closed an agronomic supply contract signed by 96% of its agricultural partners and renewed annually. In this way, the company is committed to promoting agricultural techniques that respect the environment and help obtain top quality vegetables.
Jorge Alonso says that producing food with a 'Pesticide residue free' guarantee requires the implementation of alternative cultivation techniques, such as mechanical clearing, strip-till or biological control, as well as the use of anti-insect nets and the promotion of new practices, such as:
- The monitoring of pests by means of different capture meshes for real-time, reliable monitoring.
- The selective treatment of pests through new technologies that treat only the affected area (drones for the identification and treatment of pests, or robots guided by satellite for localized treatment).
- Periodic visits to the plots by agronomists (every two weeks on average). In the last 3 years, Bonduelle has increased visits by 20%, thereby guaranteeing satisfactory results with the crops.
The French family company, founded in 1853, has had headquarters in Spain since 1988. It runs 130,000 hectares of crops across the world and its vegetables are sold in 100 countries under different brands, distribution channels and technologies. With 54 industrial and agricultural production sites of its own, the company cultivates each product in the most suitable growing areas, and close to its customers.
