HOW WAS THE GUIDE DEVELOPED

This guide was developed through a consultative process involving a range of organizations. The commercial elements of the guide were discussed with and endorsed by UK supermarkets and their dedicated distributors of fresh fruits and vegetables. The developmental elements of the guide were discussed with and endorsed by international development organizations including the UK Government's Department for International Development and NGOs such as Traidcraft. The guide was 'tested' with private companies and developmental NGOs in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Openness has driven the development of the guide to ensure that it is relevant to and required by, the industry. In particular, the development of the guide has been facilitated by a Consultative Group comprising the UK Fresh Produce Consortium (http://www.freshproduce.org.uk/fpc.html), the UK Department for International Development (http://www.dfid.gov.uk/), Waitrose (http://www.waitrose.com/), Exotic Farm Produce (http://www.exoticfarm.com/), Comité de Liaison Europe - Afrique Caraïbes Pacifique (COLEACP) (http://www.coleacp.org/) and Traidcraft (http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/)