Aldi is to buy all its bananas from sustainable sources by the end of 2016.
The retailer has announced that its entire range of bananas will be sourced from either Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance Certified farms before the end of the year, following on from a similar pledge made by Lidl earlier this year.
Tony Baines, joint managing director for corporate buying at Aldi, said: “Our customers increasingly tell us that they want to be sure that the high quality fresh produce they buy is sustainably sourced in a way that protects the environment and is fair to suppliers.
“That is why all of our core range of fresh meat and milk is 100 per cent British and comes from Red Tractor Assured farms, and why we were proud to be the first retailer to back the NFU’s Fruit and Veg Pledge.
“Working closely with our long-term suppliers, we are now able to commit to buying the remainder of our range of bananas from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms by the end of this year.We can do this because our unique model, long-term supplier relationships and operational efficiency means we can offer quality products at straightforward prices.”
Banana farms that meet comprehensive standards earn the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal. These standards help ensure that farms comply with rigorous criteria designed to protect biodiversity, workers, families and nearby communities.
Farm owners must commit to a process of continuous improvement and their farms are audited each year in order to maintain their certification.
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