Coop Italia puts suppliers on packs

The Italian retailer will this week begin trialling new fruit and vegetable packs that feature the producers who have grown the product

From tomorrow, Italian retailer plans to stock a number of fruit and vegetables packs bearing the image of the producers that have grown them.

Starting with courgettes but due to be extended to other products, the Filiera Cooperativa (Cooperative Supply Chain) initiative is being trialled in the region of Emilia-Romagna but will be rolled out across the country at a later stage if successful.

Under the tagline 'Fruit and vegetable producers show their face', photos of a total of 11 growers – nine from Emilia and two from Romagna – will be printed on the packs, accompanied by the name and location of the suppliers' companies.

On the reverse of the packs, consumers will be able to find information about the products' nutritional content as well suggested recipes.

The items will apparently be sold at the same price as the equivalent loose product.

At a press conference held yesterday, Coop vice-president Massimo Bongiovanni explained how the project was aimed at highlighting the intrinsic values of horticultural production, such as traceability, short supply chains, territorial links, quality and food safety.

The Filiera Cooperativa scheme is the result of a partnership between rural development association Legacoop Agroalimentare, Coop Italia's central Adriatic division and fresh produce supplier Agribologna.