Coop Italia has implemented a pesticide reduction plan that will start off with cherries and will then involve 35 fresh produce chains for 116 suppliers and over 7000 businesses in total. 15 crops will be involved in 2019 including cherries, melons, grapes and clementines. The final objective is to eliminate pesticides altogether.
This decision is an integral part of Coop Italia's commitment to safeguard the environment and was announced during a Macfrut event. The aim is to obtain the elimination of 4 molecules harmful for the environment (4 herbicides including glyphosate) using alternative management solutions instead. Only a few temporary exceptions will be made in case of objective difficulty, to be agreed upon with Coop.
All Coop-branded products will comply within 3 years, for an overall volume of over 100,000 tons of products involved (with a value of around €325 million).
Coop promotes the implementation of innovative agricultural techniques that can improve the efficiency, yields and sustainability of crops (i.e. the so-called precision agriculture) as part of its strategy to safeguard the environment and food security.
This is known as "precision agriculture", which is not really something new, but it is still quite rare in Italy. Coop will share its knowledge and provide support to implement the new technologies. By implementing precision agriculture methods and techniques, it is possible to save water, time and energy. An app can map where seeds are sowed so that fertilization, irrigation and disinfestation operations can be carried out exactly where needed thus saving materials and water and increasing yields.
Over the next three years, these practices will be extended to all Coop-branded fresh products for an overall volume of over 100,000 tons (worth around €325 million).
Marco Pedroni, President of Coop Italia, explained that "reducing the use of other controversial molecules after those we already get rid of in the past means improving our quality. And we ask others to do so as well. If employed correctly, pesticide residues in the water and soil are not considered directly harmful to man, but they are for the environment. Some of these molecules are debated and opinions differ within the scientific world as well. At Coop, we have decided to take precautions and say no, just like we did with other controversial cases. This way, we believe we are doing the interest of both the consumers and the environment, i.e. exactly what a cooperative of consumers is supposed to do."
In the photo below: Premio Macfrut 2019 awarded at Maura Latini, General director of Coop Italia.The prize was presented by Macfrut President Renzo Piraccini "for the considerable contribution provided to Macfrut's development. Coop Italia is the only chain that has worked with producers to showcase Italian productions thus demonstrating its diversity within the modern distribution sector."
