Billa Bulgaria has introduced a pesticide reduction programme for fruit and vegetables grown under the 'Billa Gradini' (Billa Gardens) long-term project.
The pesticide reduction programme requires that pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables produced for the retailer should be lower than the statutory limits.
The goal of the programme is to ensure healthier food is available to consumers, with limited environmental impact and safer working conditions for farmers.
Production Techniques
To achieve these results, Billa is seeking to encourage better production practices and encourage the use of alternative pesticide methods. The Rewe-owned group provides manufacturers with plant protection schemes free of charge, developed by experts, which can lead to minimum or zero pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables.
In order to monitor the effectiveness of the pesticide reduction programme, a professionally trained employee from an accredited laboratory periodically takes samples of fruits and vegetables produced under the Billa Gradini scheme.
To promote transparency, the results of these studies are published on Billa Bulgaria’s website.
Colour Coding
To help customers navigate the fruit and vegetable aisle more easily, three codes are used to indicate the results of the samples.
'Green' means that the fruit or vegetable meets the strict criteria of the Billa pesticide reduction program.
A 'Yellow' colour indicates that the product meets the legal requirements, but not the stricter criteria set out by the retailer. A 'Red' code means that the fruit or vegetable does not comply with the legal norms and, in this case, the goods are suspended from sale and scrapped.
The 'Billa Gradini' fruit and vegetables range is entirely of guaranteed Bulgarian origin. As part of the scheme, the retailer has partnered with over 30 Bulgarian farmers who grow fruits and vegetables in over 150 gardens, greenhouses and vineyards.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
