Responsible land acquisition and community engagement

Fresh Del Monte views responsible growth as more than securing fruit and vegetables for sale. Land, water and local livelihoods are connected, so each new agricultural relationship is assessed for its effect on people, ecosystems and the long-term viability of the operation. Our guidelines place stewardship, fairness and transparent decision-making at the centre of that assessment.

Land acquisition covers purchases, leases and other long-term control arrangements. Before any of these are considered, we examine whether the land is genuinely needed, whether existing partnerships or suitable sites can meet the requirement, and whether it can be managed lawfully, safely and ethically over the intended term. A lower-impact alternative is not automatically preferable, but every proposal must be tested against clear social and environmental criteria.

Community engagement begins before an agreement is final, not after construction or planting has started. We seek early, two-way dialogue with Traditional Owners, growers, workers, local organisations, public agencies and neighbouring residents. Their knowledge helps identify practical risks, while our commitments and any changes to proposals remain visible and understandable.

These principles take on particular legal and cultural meaning in Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights, the Native Title Determination System, Queensland’s tropical growing regions and strict biosecurity expectations all shape how projects are planned. Australian shoppers also expect evidence behind claims made by large fresh-food suppliers, especially when fruit reaches the concentrated retail markets served by Coles and Woolworths.

Necessity before expansion

Each proposal starts by defining the operational need, expected scale and alternatives. We review production forecasts, existing supplier relationships, land suitability and the possibility of improving current sites without expanding the footprint. Agricultural land should not be assembled simply because it is available; demand alone does not outweigh community trust or ecosystem protection.

Before commitment, due diligence examines title, tenure, overlapping interests, environmental records, labour practices, water access and past land-use disputes. Material findings must be resolved or the proposal must not proceed. These controls form part of the wider commitments published through Fresh Del Monte CSR, including sustainable sourcing and protection of high conservation value areas.

Respecting rights and seeking consent

Where Indigenous peoples hold rights or customary interests, free, prior and informed consent is required before decisions affecting land or resources. In Australia, this requires understanding the Native Title Determination System, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Rights Act 1992 and any relevant Indigenous Land Use Agreement. Those legal processes do not replace cultural authority, and neither should be treated as an obstacle to be cleared away.

Consent must be sought without coercion, in a form suited to the community, with enough time for independent legal advice and careful consideration of the proposal. People should know how any cultural knowledge will be used, stored or shared. We record who was consulted, what was discussed and how concerns changed the design. A community may decline participation, and that decision must be respected without retaliation or pressure through commercial arrangements; concerns can be raised through a documented grievance mechanism.

Environmental and social safeguards

Environmental review uses a clear hierarchy: avoid sensitive locations, minimise unavoidable impacts, restore what is disturbed and monitor results. Particular attention goes to native habitat, waterways, threatened species, protected areas and landscape corridors. Climate and biosecurity risks are also considered, including drought, cyclone exposure, fruit-fly controls and requirements under Australia’s Biosecurity Act 2015 rather than treating them as separate operational issues.

Social review examines whether land control could displace households, restrict access to water or food, affect cultural heritage, increase traffic or weaken a local service. We assess these cumulative effects with the people most affected and attach measurable mitigation to any agreement. Where restoration is required, it can include habitat rehabilitation and tree planting linked to survival targets rather than simple counts.

Designing engagement for participation

Engagement is designed around participation rather than attendance. We map stakeholders, identify gaps in representation and offer accessible ways to contribute, including local-language information, meetings outside standard office hours, remote participation and reasonable support for travel, childcare or accessibility needs. This is especially important in remote communities and regional centres where one meeting cannot represent a diverse population.

People receive a plain-language account of the proposal, likely impacts, alternatives, timelines and Fresh Del Monte’s commitments. We log questions and responses, publish what can be shared, and explain when a suggestion cannot be adopted. Confidential concerns can be raised through independent channels, and all feedback is screened for retaliation, discrimination or interference with workers’ rights.

Keeping value in local communities

Responsible engagement must leave tangible value in the places where operations and sourcing occur. Priorities include fair and transparent supplier terms, local employment, skills development, agricultural education and infrastructure chosen with communities rather than imposed upon them. These priorities respond to expectations in Australian markets, where major retailers such as Coles and Woolworths increasingly scrutinise the social and environmental performance of their suppliers.

Benefit-sharing arrangements should state which commitments belong to Fresh Del Monte, which belong to government or partners, and how progress will be checked. Training can support smallholder productivity and safer work, while community grants can be guided by locally selected priorities. The company’s imperfect fruit donations document another route to shared value: food-rescue partnerships can redirect safe, edible fruit that does not meet cosmetic standards to shelters serving cities such as Melbourne and Sydney.

Measuring outcomes and correcting gaps

Accountability requires more than publishing a policy. Site-level reviews record whether due diligence occurred before control of land changed, consent processes were respected, mitigation commitments were funded and grievances were addressed. Company-wide measures also track sustainable sourcing, tree-planting survival, protected-land monitoring and participation in educational programs, with results reported in the same context as targets and limitations.

Findings must lead to corrective action. Serious or repeated non-compliance can trigger stronger safeguards, suspension of an acquisition or procurement action against a business partner. Anonymous and direct feedback remains available after operations begin, and material concerns are escalated to appropriate leadership rather than handled only at site level. Independent assurance helps test the evidence behind public reporting.

Putting guidelines into practice

Implementation must be adapted to Australian law, landscapes and local economies. Across Fresh Del Monte’s international operations, local law and landscape determine how this baseline is implemented; Australia offers a particularly demanding context. In Queensland, projects near native title determinations and culturally important land require early and continuing engagement with Traditional Owners, while coastal operations must account for cyclone resilience, water quality in Great Barrier Reef catchments and biosecurity controls.

Technical claims receive the same scrutiny as social commitments. An independent assessment of small-scale water treatment explores the practical limits of zero-liquid-discharge systems and helps distinguish credible reuse options from aspirations. For Australian field operations and packhouses, treatment design must follow each waste stream, local water conditions, energy availability and health standards; efficiency alone cannot determine whether a technology is suitable.

Responsible growth is measured by the quality of its relationships and the durability of its safeguards, not by the speed of expansion. The lasting test is simple: secure land only when needed, respect rights and consent, protect ecosystems, share value with communities, and remain accountable for every commitment after the first harvest.