Farmers growing herbs and spices do not always earn enough income to be able to invest, whereas this is of great importance for their children and for the continuity of their business. No poverty and hunger have a close relationship. Verstegen is working hard on solutions to combat both.
To fight poverty, Verstegen is actively involved in the Living Wage Lab. This initiative investigates the levels of livable incomes for farmers in the countries of origin and also whether the farmers receive that income. Here we will discuss what a livable income is and what we can do to make it real.
In addition, Verstegen has drawn up a training programme for pepper farmers. The training allows farmers to reduce the consumption of fertilizer and improve the quality and quantity of their yield. This will increase the income of the farmer and contribute to the reduction of poverty. We are doing this together with GIZ.
It is a sad fact that more than 152 million children under the age of 15 have to work for their livelihood or that of their families. Verstegen is doing as much as possible to combat child labour. The Convention on the Rights of the Child entered into force in September 1990. For many years Verstegen has been striving for a transparent chain without child labour. Through constant dialogue with all our suppliers we want to ensure that there is no child labour in the cultivation of herbs and spices. Every supplier that has a partnership with Verstegen must sign our purchase conditions (see article 32.1), which state that there should absolutely not be child labour involved. By doing business as much as possible directly with farmers and producers in the countries of origin and visiting them, Verstegen keeps a close eye on this condition.
On 14 May 2019, a bill on the introduction of duty of care for child labour was adopted in the Dutch Senate. The bill requires companies to declare that they are taking the necessary steps to prevent child labour. The legislation promotes transparency and accelerates targeted actions by companies to seriously tackle child labour in their supply chains. Verstegen supports the bill.
Suppliers are reminded of Article 32.1: The Nations that are parties recognise the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing work which is likely to be dangerous or to interfere with the child's education or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, intellectual, moral or social development.
