Subject: DOLE FOOD TO OFFER ORGANIC BANANAS---------
Date: Sun, 07 Jan 2001 14:00:08 -0500
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State
of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
cc: Carol Browner browner.carol@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker,
I thought you might like to read an article entitled: DOLE FOOD TO
OFFER ORGANIC BANANAS.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California, January 5, 2001 (ENS) -
Dole Fresh Fruit Company, a subsidiary of Dole Food Company Inc., plans to
begin offering certified organic bananas to consumers this month.
For several years, the company has been conducting
research into the production of organic bananas, which are grown without the
use of commercial chemicals and fertilizers. Emphasizing improvements in soil
fertility, as well as biological and cultural approaches to pests and plant
diseases, Dole is now able to add organic bananas to its list of fresh fruit
products.
The organic bananas will be grown in Ecuador and Honduras
on farms that have been certified as organic by U.S. based certification
agencies and inspected by the Independent Organic Inspectors Association to
ensure organic integrity.
Dole's Latin American subsidiary, Standard Fruit de Costa
Rica, was the first major banana producing area in the world to be certified
to the International Organization for Standardization's environmental
management system standard, ISO 14001. All of Dole's farms that grow bananas
in Latin America and Asia are now certified to ISO 14001.
The bananas will first be available to Dole's West Coast
customers. Over the following months, the program will be expanded to offer
the new organic bananas to all of North America.
"Dole has a culture of maximizing environmental
performance while providing the highest quality food in the marketplace
today," said Sharon Hayes, director of environmental affairs for Dole
Food Co. "Dole's production of certified organic bananas is another sign
of Dole's commitment to environmental leadership and consumer choice."
Dole Food Co. Inc., with 1999 revenues of $5.1 billion,
is the world's largest producer and marketer of fresh fruit, vegetables and
fresh cut flowers, and markets a growing line of packaged foods.
©
Environment News Service (ENS) 2001. All Rights Reserved.
Well Mr. Helliker, When will you "legally"
allow safe and far more effective alternatives to be used on food used for
people or animals in California?
Respectfully, Stephen
L. Tvedten
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