The produce multinational claims now to be the first major agricultural operation in Central America to earn the strict Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000) labour standard.

Bureau Veritas Quality International, an independent auditing organisation, inspected Chiquita's Costa Rican banana production, harvesting and packaging operations in October and December 2002, and the company received the SA8000 certificate last month.

Jeff Zalla, Chiquita's corporate responsibility officer, said: 'SA8000 is a very high standard. We are pleased that our employees in Costa Rica succeeded in becoming our first SA8000-certified division. Our divisions in Columbia and in Bocas, Panama are also on track to earn third-party certification to SA8000 later this year.' Colleague Mark Oakley, general manager of Chiquita's Costa Rican division, added: 'Achieving SA8000 on our Costa Rican farms is a source of great pride for our employees and reflects our commitment to continuous improvement. The changes enabled by the SA8000 certification process have helped to create a more positive work environment, which translates into higher productivity, lower operating costs and, ultimately, the best bananas in the business.' SA8000 sets performance standards in nine areas: child labour, forced labour, health and safety, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, discrimination, discipline, working hours, remuneration and management systems.

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