The Swedish supermarket chain, ICA, is to switch to Swedish Roma tomatoes shortly. They will do so in partnership with the growers' organization, Sydgrönt. The association is based in the Swedish province of Skåne. To this end, Sydgrönt will deliver about 500 tons of these tomatoes this season.
The tomatoes will be packed in paper containers. This will ensure an annual saving of 10 tons of plastic. Thirty-seven tons of paper will also be saved. This saving is because the tomatoes will be transported in returnable crates, rather than cardboard boxes.
“In Sweden, there is a growing demand for Swedish products. We want to respond to that," says Andreas Sbrodiglia of ICA Sweden. "There is also a clear environmental benefit. This is thanks to the lower transport costs and the more environmentally-friendly packaging."
"We expect to sell about a million containers of Swedish Roma tomatoes this year." By June, all Roma tomatoes in ICA stores will be of Swedish origin. In the course of the autumn, this supermarket chain will gradually switch to again.
Source: www.icagruppen.se