27 Jul. 2010

UTZ CERTIFIED Stakeholder Consultation Workshop in South Africa

On 14 and 15 July a stakeholder consultation workshop took place on the new UTZ CERTIFIED Code of Conduct for Rooibos in Clanwilliam, South Africa. Around 50 representatives of key stakeholders in the South African Rooibos sector (small scale producers, commercial producers, processors, traders, packers, NGO's, government, universities, Certification Bodies) learned about the UTZ program and discussed the first draft version of the UTZ CERTIFIED Code of Conduct for Rooibos.

The workshop was facilitated by Sandra Kruger and Associates and Solidaridad South Africa, and was organized in cooperation with 'Right Rooibos' (previously 'Rooibos Biodiversity Initiative'), an initiative of the South African Rooibos Council (SARC). Thanks to the great work of our field partners and the active contribution and lively discussions of the participants, we collected valuable input for the next version of the UTZ Rooibos Code. UTZ CERTIFIED would like to thank all the participants for their enthusiasm and participation.

The next version of the Code (version 0.2) will be available on the UTZ website for public comment and feedback at the beginning of August. The final version is expected to be ready at the beginning of 2011. The Terms of Reference and the Work Plan for the Development of the Code are available on the UTZ website.