Imported organic fresh produce sold by retailer Coop Switzerland is to be labelled with a special traceability code, following the successful implementation of the scheme for domestically grown organic fruit and vegetables.
By entering the Naturaplan-ID reference on the grocer's website via their computer or smartphone, Swiss shoppers will be able to check which producer supplied their fresh, organic fruit and vegetables.
'This underlines how important Coop sees its credibility even when it comes to organic products from abroad,' the group said in a statement.
'Because for imports Coop is as uncompromising on the strict Bio Suisse guidelines as it is for products from Switzerland.'
Freedom of information
In October, Coop Switzerland launched a new mobile and web platform to put consumers in touch with the grower who produces the items they buy.
This unfettered access to information about the product was apparently so well received that the company decided to extend the Naturaplan-ID traceability scheme from Swiss organic fruit and vegetables to imported products in its organic range.
Customers are invited to take the three- to six-digit number shown on the product and enter it into a special form on the Coop Switzerland website, which takes them directly to details about that individual product's origin.
The Naturaplan-ID code NP-112 093 ID, for example, delivers a range of information about the Italian company Borghese Sanjust, which, among other products, supplies organic oranges and clementines to Coop.
All data displayed on the website has been compiled by independent organic produce certification body bio.inspecta.
For those organic items bearing the Max Havelaar fairtrade label, traceability is maintained via those products' FLO number.
According to Coop Switzerland, the retailer now carries the largest range of organic fruit and vegetables anywhere in the country.
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