Banana Farms Meet SA8000, EUREPGAP Standards

CINCINNATI – Feb 17/04 - SNS -- Banana farms in Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama operated by Chiquita Brands International, Inc. have been certified as meeting both the Social Accountability 8000(1) labor and human rights standard and the EUREPGAP(2) food safety standard.

The company said SA8000 certifications earned to date cover operations that employ more than 12,000 people, more than half of Chiquita's total employees. The EUREPGAP certifications cover approximately 14,000 hectares (35,000 acres), or about two-thirds of the company's owned banana farm operations.

Chiquita adopted SA8000 as the labor standard in its Code of Conduct in 2000 and is working toward compliance and third-party certification to SA8000 in all of its owned banana divisions. In 2002, Chiquita's banana division in Costa Rica became the first major agricultural operation in Central America to earn SA8000 certification.

"Our SA8000 and EUREPGAP certifications reflect this company's tremendous efforts and commitment to attain high ethical, social and environmental standards based on the principles of transparency and independent verification," said Fernando Aguirre, president and chief executive officer.

The subscriber version of the article is available by Clicking here