The background of Best Alliance

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REWE Group launches pilot projects in Spain and Italy for contractually grown crops - Strict requirements and quality controls from the very beginning

Forming an “Alliance of the best“ – this is the objective of Best Alliance: a concept for contractually growing crops, which allows REWE Group to have influence on every single production step from the very beginning on the fields all the way to the store shelves and which sets new standards as regards quality and sustainability. But who stands behind this Alliance? And what are the outcomes?

Strawberries, peppers and grapes have become integral parts of the daily foods we eat.
Unfortunately, also many plant pests love these tasty fruits and vegetables, which repeatedly led to an increased use of pesticides in the past. As a consequence, REWE Group has introduced stricter quality requirements to be met by its suppliers and undertakes quality controls in these ‘critical crops’.

Promoting holistic concepts
This pilot project is based on the implementation of the “good agricultural practice“, whose requirements go far beyond conventional production principles. It was defined in close cooperation with agricultural producers, importers, manufacturers of plant protection products and agricultural advisors, which comprise non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the WWF.
“Best Alliance focuses on environmentally friendlier production methods but more and more also on minimum social standards“, explains Manfred Esser, Management Board member in charge of the Strategic Purchasing division at REWE Group. “With this project, we assume responsibility that starts on the fields or in the greenhouses already and covers the entire production chain: we know every farmer, have selected on site every field, every plot, and have defined in detail the production methods”, said Esser.

Promoting the best growing conditions
Best Alliance products are exclusively grown by selected farmers. In the case of Best Alliance peppers, these are GLOBALGAP certified* farmers, who are organised in five cooperatives. Within the framework of the project, peppers and strawberries are currently grown exclusively in Spain, whereas grapes are produced in Italy, Brazil and Argentina.

As regards the plant protection products, REWE Group has introduced very strict requirements to be met. Chemical substances may only be employed when urgently needed, like for instance in the case of severe infestations with fungal diseases. For such cases, a “positive list” has been drawn up which contains the plant protection products that may be applied to treat the crops.

“This way, we can be sure that only products will be employed whose composition and effects are exactly known“, explains Esser. The regulations are very strict: Every Best Alliance farmer has to guarantee that the residue values of his products are at least 30 per cent below the statutory boundary values for plant protection products.

REWE Group’s quality assurance experts regularly commission renowned and independent testing institutes in order to check the compliance with the requirements in the country of origin already. Only if these are met, the merchandise is released for sale in the country of origin. If a producer or supplier surpasses the boundary values, the merchandise remains blocked until the reasons for it are clarified. Severe infringements of the provisions lead to an immediate delisting as supplier or an exclusion from the Alliance. In addition, there are further controls in Germany undertaken for example by REWE Group’s QS** Department.

Our responsibility: today and tomorrow
Best Alliance marks the beginning. REWE Group is dedicated to continuously follow the path it has started to take: this comprises also the growing of salads in Spain and of tomatoes and papayas in overseas countries. The corresponding preparatory actions for pilot projects have already been started.
In the medium-term, REWE Group will add to the production standards also ecological and social aspects. The cultivation of strawberries, for instance, needs a lot of water. This is a problem that affects particularly conservation areas such as the national park of Coto de Doñana in Southern Spain. There, the illegal digging of wells causes the ground water level to fall, which poses a threat to the habitats of many plant and animal species. In this area, water-saving irrigation methods for the cultivation of strawberries are to be employed in the medium-term, and conservation areas will be restored to their natural state. In such projects, REWE Group closely cooperates with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). As regards the cultivation of peppers, often illegal agricultural workers are hired. Against this background, REWE Group also tries to find solutions here. One approach to do so is REWE’s support of SOS Children’s Villages worldwide in Senegal. These projects offer children and youths the opportunity to open up themselves future prospects in their home country by attending school and undergoing vocational training.

“Of course, we are not able to turn the world into a paradise from one day to the other. But if we have the chance to make the world a bit better by actively contributing to improvements, then we are pleased to do what we can”, summarizes Manfred Esser. “And therefore we need the best possible, strong alliances.“

*GAP stands for ‘Good Agricultural Practice’ (also refer to www.globalgap.org)
**QS stands for ‘Quality Assurance according to the QS System’ (also refer to www.q-s.info)

If you have any questions, please contact: REWE Group Corporate Communications
Office at the International Green Week: Phone: [49]-(0)30-303884016
Office at the Headquarters in Cologne: Phone: [49]-(0)221-149-1050, Fax: [49]-(0)221-138898, E-Mail: presse@rewe-group.com