Group commits to 2023 tomato prices, enhancing financial stability among 300 producers in Italy’s Apulia region

International food and drink group, Princes, has continued to lead the industry in signing pre-harvest tomato supply contracts in southern Italy – guaranteeing fair pricing and enhanced financial stability for around 300 Apulian producers in 2023.  

Continuing its long-standing approach to ethical sourcing in Italy – where migrant workers can face exploitation practices driven by illegal ‘gangmasters’ known as Caporale – Princes has committed to pricing that reflects the current costs of production and delivering a profitable return to growers, months ahead of the harvest season. These prices have been established in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Foggia. and endorsed by the leading Italian agricultural association, Coldiretti.  

Seasonal labour is one of the few areas a grower can try to reduce costs during harvest season, making the services of illegal gangmasters an appealing option if there are concerns about the profitability of a crop. To minimise the risk of unethical practices, Princes Group’s Italian tomato processing facility, Princes Industrie Alimentari (PIA), conducts early contracting every year – ensuring farmers can invest in resources, while implementing best practices to enhance both social and environmental sustainability during harvest season.

Late contracting is often cited by NGOs as a key contributing factor to forced labour and human rights abuses, however it is a practice that continues today and the rest of the industry in the South often concludes negotiations just a few weeks ahead of the harvest. Princes has committed to source 250,000 tonnes of fresh Italian tomatoes this year, which will go into a wide range of products produced by the UK’s leading Italian cooking brand, Napolina.   

David McDiarmid, Corporate Relations Director at Princes, said: “We’re extremely pleased to have finalised all tomato contracts for 2023, delivering on our promise once again to guarantee fair and transparent pricing for growers, well in advance of the harvest season. Committing to pricing that reflects the actual costs of production is the only way to ensure that farmers can remain both profitable and sustainable. 

“The past 12 months has been a particularly turbulent time for the industry, which makes our social sustainability efforts all the more important. We remain firmly committed to protecting the rights of workers and supporting the fight against exploitative practices, to bring our customers and consumers a high quality and 100% ethical, ‘Made in Italy’ product.” 

Princes has been working with Coldiretti since 2019 to provide financial stability to growers through guaranteed three-year supply contracts across 30 partner cooperatives. The Group also established a new partnership with Oxfam Italy in 2022. This involves schemes to provide training on labour rights, ethical practices, and safety at work, as well as health insurance to cover medical examinations and certificates. There is also active promotion of a government led multi language ‘help desk’ service for workers employed in the fields, and safe transport available for fieldworkers – all helping to reduce the risk of unethical practices that allow Caporale to thrive.  

PIA continues to operate it’s “Lavoro Senza Frontiere” (Work Without Borders) scheme, launched in partnership with local charity, Caritas, which has positively impacted 11 victims of modern slavery by providing fair employment. The scheme was recognised by Oxfam through a ‘Fighting inequality: It can be done’ award, and the Welcome. Working for Refugee Integration logo by the UNHCR.  

At its Foggia plant – the largest tomato processing site in Europe – PIA is supplied exclusively by producers who must hold Global G.A.P. GRASP or SA8000 certifications. All of PIA’s tomato growers must also be enrolled on the ‘Rete Del Lavoro Agricolo di Qualità’, a Ministry of Labour public register of businesses fully compliant with labour and human rights legislation and transparent payment of wages.