Wednesday, September 12, 2007
To improve the living conditions and prospects for African fruit and vegetable growers, Albert Heijn, the development organization ICCO, and FairMatch Support started a partnership. The newly established Albert Heijn Foundation will finance projects in Kenya, Ghana and South Africa.
Albert Heijn, ICCO and FairMatch Support will work to strengthen African fruit and vegetable purchasing in three ways. Concrete and structural projects focusing on education, housing and health will receive financial support. These projects are aimed at local fruit and vegetable growers for Albert Heijn, their employees, their families and the surrounding communities. In addition, the three partners will devote their efforts to ensuring that fruit and vegetable production for Albert Heijn in Africa meet internationally accepted basic standards. Wherever possible, small-scale producers will be supported, so that their fruit and vegetables may be sold to Albert Heijn’s African suppliers and supply chains.
In order to finance these projects, Albert Heijn and the four largest African suppliers will each donate part of their profits from African fruit and vegetable products to the Albert Heijn Foundation. This initiative will not have any effect on the consumer retail price for these products.
ICCO and FairMatch Support are supervising the projects and development efforts in Africa, and offering advice on how small-scale producers may be able to supply their crops to Albert Heijn. ICCO also manages the financial resources of the Albert Heijn Foundation and advises on projects.
ICCO The development organization ICCO offers financial support and advice worldwide in 50 countries to 800 local organizations, networks and companies working to achieve sustainable economic development, promote democracy and peacebuilding, and provide basic social services. They pair businesses in the Netherlands with developing countries, and are one of the pioneers in the field of socio-economic development efforts. ICCO focuses both on international markets as well as the development of local markets in developing countries. In addition ICCO specializes in supplying and facilitating financial services for the economic development of rural regions in developing countries. ICCO is one of the three largest development organizations in the Netherlands.
FairMatch Support This organization encourages European companies to adopt more sustainable trade practices. FairMatch brings these companies into contact with producers and SMEs from developing countries (and vice versa). FairMatch Support offers guidance and support to farmers so that they may supply sustainable products meeting quality standards to the supermarket chains. The aim is to improve living conditions for producers and workers in developing countries.