The official launch of the sustainability label "Responsibly Fresh" took place two years ago, during Fruit Logistica in Berlin. On 18 June, the first official Sustainability Report was presented by VBT. This took place at Fruitdomain Truilingen in Sint-Truiden, Belgium. A tent was set-up in the middle of the orchard where guests could enjoy a delicious breakfast.
Rita Demaré
Rita Demaré, president of VBT, opened the meeting and stated that this report is not the end, but only the beginning. "In order to work efficiently, cooperation with the whole chain is essential."
Rita Demaré
"The sustainability report is not an end in itself, but an instrument. We truly value having the chance to hand over the first version to the three representatives for Agriculture of the Flemish provinces in attendance."
The handing over of the sustainability report. V.l.n.r: Bart Naeyaert, representative for Agriculture of West Flanders; Monique Swinnen, representative for Agriculture of Flemish Brabant, Rita Demaré, VBT president, and Inge Moors, representative for Agriculture of Limburg.
Piet Vanthemsche
Piet Vanthemsche, president of the Farmers Union (Boerenbond), addressed the audience. He emphasised the strength of the collective approach and pointed out that this is a global challenge. "Responsibly Fresh is a process that will take place step by step. Many have said that it is taking too long, but it's a good thing that this is achieved little by little. You can compare it with football. You can win by 5-1 or 2-1, but the goal is to keep winning. We are aiming for the long term and thus things don't need to be done in a spectacular fashion. By going step by step you achieve the best results. If growers ask me when it will end, I invariably answer: never. Of course, it is important for us to inform consumers and to show them what we are doing."
Piet Vanthemsche
Piet Porreye and Veerle van Hoof
The owner of the fruit growing company Piet Porreye and his wife Veerle van Hoof couldn't agree more. "Every year, about 2 to 3,000 people come visit and we have the chance to tell them all the good news. Consumers actually know very little about agriculture; we don't want to tell them "how" we prune; only that we do it and why we do it. People are very surprised when they learn how intensive a labour it is and are thrilled to learn about it. We have been in the fruit growing business for more than 35 years and we are now in a transition stage towards integrated production. The story behind environmentally-friendly and sustainable agriculture is one we are happy to tell."
Piet Porreye and Veerle van Hoof
Philippe Appeltans, VBT
The official presentation of the sustainability report was carried out by Philippe Appeltans, general secretary of the VBT. "Belgian fruit and vegetable auctions are working on the path towards more sustainable development. Two years ago, in February 2012, they launched the collective sustainability label "Responsibly Fresh".
Meanwhile, the auctions that adopted the initiative, BFV, BelOrta, Limburg Tuinbouwveiling, REO and Hoogstraten, along with the associated producers, have continued to make an uninterrupted effort, working to obtain the sustainability and quality certificates. The Haspengouw auction has also recently signed up to take part in Responsibly Fresh. The details of the efforts made have been compiled in the first Responsibly Fresh sustainability report.
Philippe Appeltans
"For several years now, the Federation of Belgian Horticultural Cooperatives (VBT), together with the associated auctions, have been working on a sustainability project. The focus on sustainability, on the one hand, and the multitude of labels highlighting specific aspects of sustainability on the other hand, formed the base for this.
Since the beginning, auctions have adopted a proactive, and both a private and collective approach. The members growers and their business situations, after all, are as diverse as the range of fruits and vegetables they produce and market. Such diversity means that sustainable development cannot be accommodated to a limited set of criteria, but must be pursued through a multitude of resources and activities. Responsibly Fresh highlights the collective efforts made by the producers."
"Auctions can use the Responsibly Fresh label as long as three conditions are met. Firstly, the producer is expected to have a valid quality certificate, namely Vegaplan or GLOBAL GAP. Secondly, the auction is expected to have a certificate for a sustainability charter, as supplied by the provincial governments and/or the VOKA (Flemish Network of Entrepreneurs). The commitment to external initiatives and the regular, independent audits make Responsibly Fresh transparent and credible. A third condition is that the auctions must demonstrate a set of sustainability criteria for all their producers, brought together in a collective report.
From the very beginning, Responsibly Fresh has focused on four themes: low impact, biodiversity, proximity and food saving. Producers and auctions have already made a great effort and there is still room to continue advancing.
- Low impact: Saving production means and applying good agricultural practices and integrated cultivation techniques.
- Biodiversity: Opting for diverse crops and offering support for research into new varieties and cultivation techniques.
- Proximity: The structure of marketing cooperatives aims for the creation of a small, integrated supply chain, resulting in transparent prices for producers, one-stop shopping for distributors and affordable quality for consumers.
- Food saving: The implementation of carefully-designed preservation techniques and customer-focused portions with a continuous effort to meet market demands.
The collective report for producers includes 49 sustainability criteria. The 2013 update has been elaborated on the basis of input from 2,848 producers, more than 80 % of the active producers from participating auctions. The measures planned and implemented also cover various topics addressed by Responsibly Fresh, ranging from energy and water-saving cultivation techniques to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and specific provisions for staff, such as professional training.
The road towards sustainable development continues to be paved by:
www.responsibly-fresh.com
Those in attendance enjoyed a delicious breakfast. Managers of Belgian auctions were present, as well as representatives of the VBT and VLAM.
