Two 鈥楨CO-OK鈥� certificates have been awarded to banana growers in Costa
Rica and Hawaii by Rainforest Alliance, a lobby group based in New York.
The banana growers have pledged to abide by a strict code of environmental
standards.
The 鈥榞reen鈥� bananas will initially be available in Hawaii and Germany,
although they may reach British consumers in time for Christmas. Jane Scriven
of the British-based multinational Geest, says: 鈥楨CO-OK inspectors have
made an initial visit to our farms in Costa Rica. We are aiming to obtain
certification by the end of 1993.鈥�
Under the ECO-OK standards, virgin forest cannot be cleared for plantations
and unproductive land must be reforested. The use of pesticides must also
be strictly controlled. All ECO-OK plantations will be subject to independent
annual review.
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