Sustainable Fruit South Africa – table grapes and citrus

A harmonised standard has been introduced that on the one hand guarantees compliance with market demands in the Netherlands and the EU (Milieukeur) and on the other hand helps to introduce and implement minimum social standards, as formalised in the South African legislation by SIZA - Sustainability Initiative of South Africa. The Dutch foundation MilieuKeur (SMK) will develop the ‘Milieukeur’ certification schemes for grapes and citrus grown in South Africa. Milieukeur, the Dutch environmental quality label, has an integrated approach to make products and services more sustainable. The SIZA standard is a recently developed standard applicable for the fruit industry in South Africa.

The aim of the project is to assist two producers in South Africa of fresh fruit (table grapes and citrus) –  The Grape Company and A.L.G. Estate –  to produce within one year in compliance with above mentioned harmonized standards. The local producers are committed to introduce the new standards among their growers.

N&S, a Dutch consulting firm specialised in food security and quality standards has been commissioned to carry out this project. N&S has been contracted by Jaguar as a service provider.

Jaguar is a major importer in the Netherlands and further into the EU of fresh fruits and supplies to most of the larger retail chains in the Netherlands. Jaguar has signed a covenant with IDH in June 2012 and has openly committed to operate sustainable and to only import sustainable fruits and vegetables to the Netherlands by 2020.

SIZA is a not-for-profit, membership-based organisation, open to producers, exporters, and stakeholders across the supply chain in South Africa. SIZA focuses on development and capacity building rather than audits. The SIZA programme aims to provide growers with the tools to be self-regulated.

The project will address the following:

1. Accreditation of the environmental and social standards.
2. Introduction of and training on the standards among the selected producers.
3. Audit of the producers and dissemination of results.