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Co-op UK has announced that it will stop sourcing products from 17 countries, including Israel, where ‘internationally recognised’ human rights abuses and violations of law occur


The Co-op is the seventh largest grocery retailer in the UK, with over six million active members, more than 2,300 grocery shops and a workforce of 54,000. In a statement released yesterday (24 June), The Co-op explained that 'the violations are recognised by sources such as the United Nations; banning the products makes a difference directly or indirectly to those affected and would alleviate their suffering'. The countries are (lsta is in English): Afghanistan; Belarus; Central African Republic (CAR); Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea); Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Haiti; Iran; Israel; Libya; Mali; Myanmar; Russia; Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; Syria; and Yemen. About Coop Alleanza 3.0 read here

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Coop Alleanza takes Israeli products off the shelves. And puts Gaza Cola


The supermarket chain has decided to no longer sell certain brands of peanuts and sauces, as well as Sodastream, produced in Israel. 'The escalation in recent weeks has prompted us to give a signal of consistency' Below the Albiate Coop and some criticism on social media. Political stances are always 'at risk' as the Ben &Jerry'S - Unilever caseshows. Written 25 June, updated 27 June 2025

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Tuscany: in less than 20 years it has lost half of its durum wheat cultivated areas


from 96,000 hectares in 2006 to 43,000 in 2024... "The crisis in cereals can be explained simply as follows: costs exceed revenues,' says the president of Coldiretti Toscana, Letizia Cesani. 'Today, with the volatility of prices, farms cannot even break even. In a country where a plate of pasta is never missing from the table, it would be natural to think that this is an important crop, but it is not so. In 2023, imports of Canadian wheat, for which glyphosate is used in the pre-harvest phase - glyphosate is a carcinogenic herbicide - increased by 68%'... On this topic read here

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Italian oil and supermarkets are once again INCOMPATIBLE


QUALITY, OIL and GDO: A PERMANENT CONFLICT. ITALIAN OIL AND SUPERMARKETS ARE BACK TO BE INCOMPATIBLE The bargain price proposed by several large-scale retail chains declares goodbye to Italian extra virgin olive oil on the shelves. The combined combination of the return of below-cost promotions,low-priced EU oil and the one-litre bottle clearly indicates that large-scale distribution is back to fighting solely over price, sales volumes, and making oil only a coquette product. For quality and Italian products, look elsewhere.. Paolo Caruso on LinkedIN

 

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A bill defining quality Italian extra virgin for the first time


For the first time in the world, there will be much more restrictive chemical values than for classic extra virgin olive oil, but also tools to promote the product and the cultural heritage linked to olive growing... From the point of view of business support, the text provides for the allocation of 30 million euros over three years to support Italian olive growing businesses that produce extra virgin olive oil from cultivation to packaging. The non-repayable contribution is also aimed at oil mills and is intended to promote the quality and recognisability of the product on both the domestic and international markets... Two key measures: a research fund and an experimental blockchain platform to ensure product traceability. Starting in 2025, in fact, a 5 million euro fund will be activated to support research projects on sustainable production techniques, quality analysis, artificial intelligence and disease- and pest-resistant olive varieties. An open source platform based on blockchain will be launched in 2026. Better late than never.

AI