Dole Europe launched a web-based information campaign to keep consumers and the trade informed on its sustainability practices in pineapple production in Costa Rica.
From this week European consumers are being prompted by messages on Dole’s pineapple hang tags to visit www.dole-news.com and learn more about some of the company’s best practices in the Central American country. Several initiatives will be presented on a rolling basis throughout 2011.
The campaign has started by showing that pineapple farming at Dole is compatible with forest conservation and the protection of biodiversity. Various tools, such as videos and pictures, highlight nature reserves maintained on farms and show the various mammal species, including some endangered ones, present at Dole El Bosque plantation in Costa Rica. Those mammals were monitored in a survey carried out last July by FUNDECOR, an NGO active in protecting the natural resources of the Costa Rican central mountains. This first round of information also highlights Dole’s reforestation programs in Costa Rica.
“Some recent reports have drawn increased consumer attention regarding sustainability in pineapple production, particularly in Costa Rica,” said Sylvain Cuperlier, vp of world-wide corporate responsibility and sustainability at Dole. “We want to be fully transparent regarding our practices. This new initiative contributes to strengthen consumer confidence regarding the way we grow pineapples at Dole.”
