Hard working conditions “Bitter” strawberries from Spain

Status: 10.06.2021 10:56 a.m. The seasonal workers on site receive only a fraction of the price paid in Germany for strawberries from Spain. The strawberry farmers say: The supermarkets are pushing the price. By Reinhard Spiegelhauer, ARD studio Madrid Strawberries as far as the eye can see and an intense fragrance that is so strong that it is almost unpleasant. A small refrigerated truck is parked on the way between the fields. Two dozen of a good 100,000 seasonal workers stand between the green beds, pecking the bright red fruits during the season. “It’s difficult in Morocco,” says the single mother Fatima. As a harvest helper, the Moroccan receives the equivalent of only six and a half euros per day in her home country – over 40 in Spain. Fatima canceled the agreed on-site interview that morning. She answers the questions via voicemail. Because her boss told her she couldn’t just talk to journalists.

“We don’t know what our wages are”

Is there any other pressure? Yes, she says, anyone who collects a battered strawberry will be sent home or even not allowed to work for a whole day.

We don’t even know what the wages are. Some say 42 euros, others 40 euros. “No, no,” says Manuel Reina from the farmers’ association in the shadow of the refrigerated truck. Everyone would be treated properly. The strawberry farmers even provided free apartments:

If individuals do not adhere to the guidelines, then it’s like in politics, the police or administration. A few black sheep cannot be used to identify the entire province of Huelva. A Moroccan harvest worker harvesting strawberries in Cartaya, archive image. Image: Julian Perez / EPA-EFE / Shutterstoc

Union speaks of exploitation

Trade unionist José Antonio Brazo from the Andalusian Workers’ Union frowns. A few kilometers further on, from a railway embankment, he looks out over the endless sea of ​​greenhouses. Silvery shiny plastic film to the horizon. The collective wage is systematically not paid, says Brazo. “We’re talking about exploitation here. In every village here there is a figure of Mary who is venerated – but in reality everyone worships the mammon.” In fact, a study by the Löning sustainability consultancy in Berlin found that harvest workers are often poorly paid.

Study: Supermarkets’ price dictation

Manuel Reina from the farmers’ association defends himself: Actually, the farmers are the “pinched” ones. You take all the risk, he complains. They would have to advance everything and would not get a reasonable price for their product. Farmers hardly see anything of what consumers pay for. One to one and a half euros per kilo of strawberries that went over the counter in the supermarket for six euros. The price dictation is also discussed in the Berlin study. For trade unionist José Antonio Brazo it is clear:

The red fruits, the strawberries, they are no longer sweet, but bitter.

The mixing of Chinese strawberries and then advertising and selling them into Dalat strawberries is no longer a new story. However, many consumers are still worried because they do not know how to distinguish these two types of strawberries, if they buy poor quality Chinese strawberries, their health will be affected. To distinguish Chinese strawberries in the guise of Da Lat strawberries, you just need to observe the following characteristics. 1. Shape Da Lat strawberries have uneven fruit shape, moderate fruit size, not too big, not smooth. Meanwhile, Chinese strawberries have high uniformity, large fruits, hard and smooth to the touch. Dalat strawberries have an uneven fruit shape. Chinese berries from size to shape are very uniform. 2. Color In terms of color, Dalat strawberries have an uneven red color, dark on the stem, the stem is slightly white. Chinese strawberries give a dark red color from head to stem, which looks very beautiful. The calyx part, Da Lat strawberry has a short thin calyx, partially covered on the strawberry, with light green color. These features, consumers will not notice when buying Chinese strawberries, because the calyx of Chinese strawberries is thick, very smooth, covers more than a third of the strawberry and has a dark green color like the leaves. The color of Da Lat strawberry has a small white part covered in the calyx. Chinese strawberries are uniformly red from head to stem, looking very beautiful. 3. The meat inside With the flesh inside, Dalat strawberries will be light red, with white interlaced. The Chinese strawberry has a darker red flesh, no white interlacing. The flesh inside Da Lat strawberries will be light red, with white interlaced. The Chinese berries are absent or very pale. 4. Taste In terms of taste, Chinese strawberries have no aroma, when eaten, they have a greasy feeling, no sour taste, while strawberries of Da Lat have a characteristic aroma, when eaten soft and chewy, have a sour taste. . Dalat strawberry flavor has a characteristic aroma, when eaten, it is soft and chewy, with a sour taste. The taste of Chinese strawberry is light and not fragrant. When chewed very friable. 5. Storage time In addition, consumers also have another way of knowing that Chinese strawberries can be left for 7 to 10 days in a temperature environment of 25-32 degrees Celsius and still fresh, while Da Lat strawberries only keep up to 2 hours. day is wilted or bruised all stem. Da Lat strawberries can only be preserved for up to 2 days before they wilt or darken. Chinese strawberries can be stored for 7 to 10 days in a temperature environment of 25-32 degrees Celsius Buy traced strawberries If you want to buy Da Lat strawberries with the right standards, you should not be subjective when choosing a unit or seller. If buying at a reputable dealer or supermarket, you should choose strawberry boxes with a QR code traceability stamp. Then, you can easily trace the origin of the product to be more assured of your choice. When tracing product origin, you will know information about product origin such as product name, manufacturer, supplier, growing and processing process.

Specifically, Da Lat strawberries have uneven fruit shape, moderate fruit size, not too big, soft fruit, not smooth. Meanwhile, the Chinese strawberry, has high uniformity, large fruit, hard and smooth fruit. Image distinguishing types of strawberries. In terms of color, Dalat strawberries have an uneven red color, dark on the stem, the stem is slightly white. Chinese strawberries give a dark red color from head to stem, which looks very beautiful. Da Lat strawberries have uneven fruit shape, moderate size, soft fruit, not smooth. And Chinese strawberries have large, hard, smooth fruits, the uniformity between the fruits is high. When eaten, Dalat strawberries have a characteristic aroma and sour taste, while Chinese strawberries are friable and have no aroma. When sliced, it can be seen that the inside of Dalat strawberries is light red with white, while Chinese strawberries are dark red and not white. Image when halving strawberries. Many people also mentioned how to recognize that Chinese strawberries can be left for 7 to 10 days in a temperature environment of 25-32 degrees Celsius without wilting or rotten, while Da Lat strawberries only keep for up to 2 days. . Strawberries were brought to Da Lat by the French in the 40s of the 20th century. The soil here gives the quality and taste of strawberries very special. The growth characteristics of strawberries are suitable for temperate climates. Strawberries have red color, soft fruit, sweet and sour taste, characteristic aroma, so they are very popular with many people.

Although each strawberry variety has different shapes and sizes, it is best not to choose too large fruits because they think that will be sweet. On the contrary, those are the fruit soaked with water inside, sure to eat it will make you disappointed. Color Besides, the color also partly reflects the quality of the strawberry. Specifically, fruits worth buying are usually bright red, full-bodied and without green spots. A green or white spot is an indication that the strawberry is unripe and will not be able to continue to ripen after picking. Of course, such unripe fruit will not deliver the expected sweetness. Petiole In addition, when choosing to buy, the mother must remember to observe the stalk. Strawberries are only really delicious when they have whole stalks, sepals, and the distance between the petiole and the fruit is far apart. Therefore, if the mothers realize that the leaf stalks are dry or yellow, they should not buy, because it has been on sale for a long time, even about to spoil, and only buys it with effort to throw away. Fragrant And the last sign to confirm the quality of strawberries is based on the scent, because strawberries often have a characteristic, very attractive smell. Therefore, if when choosing, if mothers put on their nose to smell for a long time, they still can not feel it or if it is just a slight scent, they should consider carefully before buying, because the possibility of them being sprayed with growth stimulants is very high. The secret to distinguish Dalat and Chinese strawberries. Currently on the market, there are quite a few types of strawberries bearing the Dalat label. So when you go to buy strawberries in Dalat, you should pay attention to the following points. Strawberry characteristics of Da Lat: The shape of the fruit is not uniform, there are different large and small fruits. The strawberry size in Dalat is not too big, just moderate, the fruit is not smooth and soft. Fruit color is not uniform, with dark red on the body and white near the stem. The long fruit (stem cover) is light green, thin and short, partially covered on the strawberry. Da Lat strawberries have a characteristic taste, and when eaten, they have a sour and soft taste. Characteristics of Chinese strawberries: Chinese strawberries are uniform with each other, large fruits. Chinese strawberries are firm and smooth, and the dark red color looks great. The fruit lengths are dark red in color and not white in color. The taste of Chinese strawberries is very different from that of Dalat, Chinese strawberries have no fragrance, and when eaten, they do not have a sour taste and are bad.