Tesco has defended its banana sourcing practices after saying it has no plans to follow its rivals on committing to 100% certified sustainable bananas.
Aldi announced this week it would follow Lidl and Asda in switching its entire range to sustainable sources by the end of the year, with a pledge to buy some 93% of its bananas from Rainforest Alliance farms, and the rest from Fairtrade farms.
With The Co-op Group, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose already sourcing Fairtrade, the move by Aldi leaves just Tesco and Morrisons as the only major supermarkets yet to commit to 100% sustainable banana sourcing through either certification scheme.
While Morrisons was tight-lipped on its plans this week, a Tesco spokeswoman said the retailer would not follow rivals by committing to certified bananas. “We don’t need to have the same reliance as others on certification schemes - it’s the sourcing practices that matter, not the labels,” she said, adding Tesco had direct relationships with its banana farmers and was unique in having “local ethical and technical experts based in banana-growing regions, who work with farmers daily to check quality and improve conditions”.
Tesco had also committed to paying a living wage to workers on its main partner farms by 2017, she added, with “no certified-only retailer making such a pledge”.
Aldi’s move was welcomed by NGO Banana Link, though it claimed “big question marks” remained over RFA labour standards and minimum prices.
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