This year's Spanish lemon campaign has started with the certification of 27 exporters by the Spanish Lemon and Grapefruit Interprofessional Association (Ailimpo).
The new Ailimpo certification protocol and subsequent quality label for the Association's packhouses is backed by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and the European Commission, and is designed to guarantee that lemon exporters meet a series of minimum requirements in the areas of food safety, the environment, occupational health and safety, social responsibility, and compliance with tax and social security obligations.
Approved by the European Commission and given the go-ahead in June, the certification protocol and quality label will provide the sector with a means of self-regulation to distinguish exporters who are committed to supplying lemons with maximum guarantees and quality standards.
Certification is voluntary and enables all certified companies to benefit from a system that offers a distinctive brand/logo as a pledge to customers that they meet the highest standards of practice in the Spanish lemon sector, Ailimpo said.
Click here for the list of companies to have received the certification
