Spanish grocery retailer Eroski has begun a campaign to promote local – and particularly Andalusian – agriculture.
The company said yesterday (31 May) that following the recent E.coli outbreak in Germany – which was initially linked to cucumbers from Spain – Andalusian producers are accumulating tonnes of cucumber, tomatoes, fruits and vegetables due to the difficulties facing to export them.
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Eroski said that it would be promoting local produce as part of its policy of supporting local producers. It pointed out that the Spanish Food Safety Agency has said that local produce is safe.
The news comes as Spanish farmers consider seeking compensation after the Hamburg Board of Health and Consumer Protection claimed cucumbers imported from Spain as being the cause of an E.coli outbreak that has killed a reported 16 people. Subsequent tests have shown that the cucumbers did have a strain of e.coli – but not the type that is behind the outbreak.
