Government, retail join forces in Spain
and protecting the country's food industry following a joint
agreement with the ministry of agriculture there. Food safety, food
quality and support for SMEs are high on the list of priorities.
MAPA, the Spanish ministry of agriculture, and ASEDAS, the association which represents the supermarket sector in Spain, have launched a joint initiative designed to help promote the country's food industry.
Supermarkets have been fiercely criticised by the Spanish authorities in recent weeks for apparently profiting from reduced supplies of a number of vegetable products by introducing steep price rises, but retailers and government yesterday presented a united front in launching the joint initiative.
The partnership is the latest in a number of measures introduced by MAPA to try and boost Spain's agro-food industry, not least a similar partnership with the hypermarket sector.
Supermarkets account for 42.3 per cent of all food sales in Spain according to ASEDAS, and as such play a major role in the development of the food industry there.
The new initiative will provide a forum for dialogue with government, supermarkets and the rest of the food industry in a bid to strengthen relationships to the benefit of both the trade and consumers.
But it will also see the various parties take action to improve the food distribution chain, notably with regard to product quality, with particular emphasis on denomination of origin products, protected geographical indications and organic food.
It will also look at ways of improving product safety, including new control and verification procedures.
Training will also play a part in the initiative, with both parties agreeing that products safety and quality can be better assured by staff who have been well versed in food handling and treatment procedures.
The new initiative will also give greater support to the growing number of small and medium sized food producers in Spain, in particular when it comes to providing shelf space for their products. But supermarkets can also help smaller companies by providing information about prevailing consumer tastes - so that they can make products with greater appeal - and by sharing expertise on modern management techniques.
