The Italian branch of German retail group Metro has published a book about fresh produce which it hopes will help food industry professionals to learn more about the intrinsic health properties of fresh fruits and vegetables.
The book, entitled 'Strategic foods and nutrients: fruit and vegetables', is edited by Metro Italia's quality systems manager Claudio Truzzi in collaboration with nutrition group ARNA and a number of Italian universities.
'This is part of a project to educate our customers about the quality and nutritional value of our products,' explains Dominique Minnaert, general director of Metro Italia. 'Metro aims to be a partner for its clients, aiding their development with ad hoc training courses.'
'With competition constantly increasing and in a period when there is strong attention on consumption and the authenticity of products, especially for out-of-home eating, the challenge can be met by focusing on product quality, service and professionality,' continued Mr Minnaert. 'This training manual can therefore really make the difference.'
The editor of the manual underlined the fact that the book's production had taken a year and involved the entire quality control department at Metro Italia.
'We are proud of what we've produced,' he commented. 'It's a testament to the attention Metro pays to quality and to educating its customers.'
The book is divided into five sections, in which all the various topics related to organoleptic characteristics, quality, critical levels and optimum storage are covered.
Metro Italia, which operates 48 outlets in 16 regions across Italy, has more than 1.2m customers according to company estimates.
