Best Alliance

With "Best Alliance", the REWE Group is breaking new ground in food trading: Within the framework of projects for the contract cultivation of grapes, strawberries, tomatoes and peppers in Spain and Italy, the REWE Group assumes responsibility for the production chain and the ecological and social sustainability of these crops at an even earlier stage. This is provided for by the selection of farmers and cultivation sites, new provisions on pesticides, stronger controls of producers, careful harvesting procedures and the co-operation with competence partners such as the environmental protection organisation WWF or SOS children's villages.

When produced according to “Best Alliance" principles, grapes, strawberries, tomatoes and peppers must be cultivated in line with binding crop protection programmes. These measures help to ensure that the residues in products are kept well below the statutory threshold values for pesticides. In order to fulfil these ambitious requirements, the REWE Group also favours biological production methods in conventional farming.

Independent test institutes regularly monitor compliance with the provisions already in the producer countries. The products are only released for sale in the country of origin after they have passed these tests. If a producer or supplier surpasses the strict threshold values, the merchandise is blocked until the causes have been clarified. Severe infringements lead to an immediate de-listing or even to the exclusion from the Best Alliance project.