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In Good Company
Dole's $3.60 bananas come with promises and purpose
Fruit producer believes in doing the right thing, and senior executive Christian Wiegele is someone who walks the talk
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Mr Christian Wiegele, president of Fresh Produce Group at Dole Sunshine Company, says the firm has strong initiatives working on reducing waste, repurposing products and upcycling.
PHOTO: DOLE SUNSHINE COMPANY
Time was when eating fruits was not something that, well, exercised you over much. You peeled a banana, gulped the flesh and looked for a convenient place to dispose of the skin. Or cut a pineapple and either had it fresh, or put it in the fridge for a bit to enjoy the sense of crunching into something sweet and cold. Who cared to consider how that banana reached your table? Or what happened to the pina remnants once the fruit left the tree?
Companies, unlike consumers, have to be more mindful. This is the age of being woke and that extends in many directions. New phrases such as "eco-anxiety" and "ecocide" - a play on anxiety over the environment and environmental genocide - are in vogue. Many see in all this both a moral imperative and a business opportunity.
