Response from Fyffes

In our last News Update, on 5th January 2010, we published an open letter to multinational fruit exporter Fyffes on the subject of trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Corporate Watch had been supplied with a photo of boxes of dates bearing the Fyffes logo inside a packing house in the settlement of Tomer. Fyffes was quick to respond indignantly, claiming the company did not export directly from Israel or the settlements but that it had licensed its brandname for use by other companies. When questioned, they claimed they could categorically state that no products from illegal Israeli settlements are exported under the Fyffes brand any longer. However, when asked if they exported products, or allowed products to be exported bearing their brandname, from Israel, there was no answer.
Fyffes did not make any promise to not license its brand for the export of settlement goods in the future and did not appear to accept that the company bore responsibility for goods exported under its brandname. The dates in the picture were photographed in a packing house used by Carmel-Agrexco. Fyffes, however, says it has no relationship with Carmel-Agrexco.
So that’s what Fyffes say. But if you have any information that may suggest that Fyffes is exporting or licensing its brandname to export goods from Israel or Israeli settlements, please contact us at contact[at]corporatewatch.org.
Original article at http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=3516