- Italy is currently the third largest producer of processed tomato products, and accounts for 50% of the European Union’s overall production.
Approximately 350 000 migrants travel to Italy every year. In some cases, the poor living and working conditions of rural jobs are an extension of the ordeal migrants endure in leaving their home countries.
Norwegian food retailers have initiated a project (2014) under the umbrella of the Ethical Trading Initiative Norway (IEH). This became a multi-stakeholder project, with participation from diverse range of IEH members including Norwegian trade unions and employer organisations. The project attempts to tackle the issues of labour exploitation in the supply chain of processed tomato products sourced from Italy. The project is carried out in collaboration with IEH’s sister organisations in the UK (ETI) and in Denmark (DIEH). It is funded by IEH, Norwegian and UK retailers, and the Norwegian Labour Organisation (LO). To achieve its objectives, the project team is working with a range of stakeholders, including Italian trade unions, producers associations, NGOs, OECD contact point, and research institutions.
