Nineteen organisations from across the world have come together to campaign to Make Fruit Fair! NGOs from Europe are working in close partnership with small farmer organisations and plantation worker unions from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean to improve living and working conditions for the hundreds of thousands of people who grow, pick and pack the tropical fruit that we buy in our shops every day.
Violations of labour standards and environmental rights are common in both the banana and pineapple production, as in other tropical fruit production, and in many cases this situation is worsening.
The truth about tropical fruits from LIDL:
Lidl claims all the bananas and pineapples that they sell are sustainably produced. But the reality for farmers and workers looks very different:
- Plantation workers and their families are exposed to toxic pesticides. They suffer from respiratory symptoms, sickness and dizziness.
- The low income of small-scale farmers and low wages of plantation workers mean their families often can’t cover basic household costs.
- Plantation workers are often discriminated against or even fired for joining a trade union.
- Soil and water quality are suffering due to the use of chemical substances. Monocultures and pesticides destroy biodiversity.
- Guarantee that small-scale farmers and plantation workers producing tropical fruit earn an income which enables them to provide for their families and themselves;
- Guarantee that all workers are safe in the workplace, and protected from exposure to toxic pesticides;
- Guarantee the union rights of workers;
- Pay a fair price for bananas and pineapples to all of their suppliers.