Press release
, François-Xavier Branthôme
The end of the harvest is approaching, and this is the moment chosen by the Princes Group to once again communicate publicly regarding its commitment to ensure that modern slavery is eradicated from all its different business sectors – tomato processing, tuna processing and cooking oil production.
The in-depth report published in 2019 cannot be presented in detail in these pages: Tomato News is publishing an excerpt from this document, and invites its readers to consult the dedicated website of the Princes Group (follow link at the end of this article).
“Princes has been a trusted household name since 1880. We have developed our vision over time to better reflect our heritage and our future, “Proudly helping families to eat well without costing the earth”.
As a values-led organisation, we are proud to support the Modern Slavery Act (2015) and highlight the steps we are taking to ensure that modern slavery is eradicated from every part of our business.
Our work over the past few years demonstrates the commitment Princes, our colleagues, our customers and our supply partners place on ending modern slavery.
Slavery, forced labour and human trafficking are issues of growing global concern, affecting all sectors, regions and economies.
Our aim is to ensure that there is no modern slavery in our supply chain.”
“Last year Princes announced that 100 percent of the tomatoes it processed from its Italian supply chain came from farms with independent ethical accreditation through either Global GAP GRASP or SA8000 accreditation.
In order to build on this achievement, and in recognition of the on-going challenges around ending migrant worker exploitation in the industry, on 12 February 2019, our Italian tomato processing operation, Princes Industrie Alimentari S.r.L. (PIA) signed a breakthrough partnership agreement with Coldiretti, a leading Italian agricultural union.
Through the partnership, Princes provides financial stability for growers through guaranteed three-year supply contracts, while ensuring that the pricing of tomatoes reflects the true costs of farming to enable the long-term sustainability of the industry.
Growers also have access to unique grant and financing opportunities as part of the agreement. Coldiretti will provide official transport for seasonal agricultural workers for signatory farms, and maintain an annual training commitment that encompasses Environmental, Social and Economic sustainability.
Our partnership also includes a commitment by Coldiretti farmers to develop and participate in Blockchain digital traceability technology to monitor and protect workers’ safety rights throughout the supply chain.
Princes processes in the region of 300 000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes annually and this initiative is another significant step forward in the enhancement of the Italian tomato supply chain and the continued improvement in supply chain transparency as a key driver in increasing stakeholder awareness and ultimate engagement in this process.”
