Charity Oxfam has accused German retailers of sourcing bananas from plantations in Ecuador that have “intolerable and exploitative working conditions”.
A report called “Bitter Bananas” alleges that Edeka, Rewe, Aldi, Lidl and Metro Group are buying the fruit from plantations that have “inhumane” working conditions, including low wages, health risks and the violation of trade union rights.
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The author of the study, Oxfam’s director of corporate social responsibility Franziska Humbert, said: “Wages are a particular problem, as they are insufficient to support a family. The average net wage is around US$237, well below the nationally defined poverty line of $544 for a family of four.
She also alleged that illegal pesticides are being sprayed on the fields and employees are being laid off because of their union membership.
However, Edeka said Oxfam’s reproaches “do not hold true” because it supports standards such as GLOBAL Good Agricultural Practice and has worked with other European companies to support the improvement of social standards along the whole supply chain.
A spokesman said: “Edeka is well aware of its responsibility to help improve the working conditions in our supplier countries on a permanent basis.
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By GlobalData“In contrast to the discount sector, Edeka offers at least six different banana segments for sale, among them not only bananas in the low-price segment but also organic bananas, particularly high quality bananas under the private label Edeka Selection.
“The customer can choose from this varied offer at different quality and price levels. Therefore, the pricing of our products is not exclusively orientated towards prices in the discount sector. Thus, Oxfam’ s reproaches do not hold true.”
A spokeswoman from Metro said: “Metro Group only sources bananas from internationally acknowledged brand suppliers such as Dole Fresh Fruit Europe OHG. We do not tolerate forced labour, child labour or any kind of exploitation by any of our suppliers. The corresponding ban forms an integral part of our purchase conditions.
“According to Oxfam, many of the nonconformities identified by the study relate to violations of Ecuadorian law: contrary to the legal regulations in force the workers get no paid vacation, no written salary statements and no protective clothing.
A Lidl spokesman said: “”As a responsible retailer, we are committed to human rights and fair labour standards as set out in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour Organisation Conventions and the OECD Guidelines of Multinational Enterprises.
“Our Supplier Standards reflect our commitment to the principles enshrined in these documents and all suppliers to Aldi are required to meet these standards, as part of our contractual terms and conditions.”
Rewe and Aldi were not available for comment at time of writing.
