Kris Peeters, minister-president of the government of Flanders, appeared at Fruit Logistica in Berlin last week to launch the new quality label, 'Responsibly Fresh'.
The new label is a guarantee that those products bearing it have been produced with people, planet and profit firmly in mind.
'Sustainability has been attracting a lot of attention,' said Philippe Appeltans, secretary of the Belgian Horticultural Federation (VBT), at the label's official unveiling at Fruit Logistica. 'However, a lot of initiatives only go part of the way. We believe sustainability is a broader concept, and we want to start today.'
“Products with this label guarantee to customers that they have been cultivated in accordance with the economic, ecological and social aspects of sustainable development,” added Peeters.
To qualify for the 'Responsibly Fresh' label, producers and cooperatives in Belgium must satisfy recognised quality systems, as well as specific sustainability conditions.
The label's logo features a 'G' shape in the colours of the rainbow, with a leaf at its centre. The logo's round shape signifies the globe, while the 'G' reportedly stands for 'global', 'green' and 'good citizenship'.
The colours of the rainbow, a phenomenon created when it rains while the sun is shining, are indicative of the need to strike a balance between seemingly contradictory elements: people, planet and profit.
