The Association of Banana Producer Organizations of the Canary Islands (Asprocan), which brings together the six OPP-type entities that operate on the islands and, in turn, is the manager of the protected geographical indication (PGI) Plátano de Canarias quality label, has decided to temporarily suspend the ripening activity of this island fruit with certified quality by the company Bonnysa Agroalimentaria. 

SA is a trading company with its registered office in Alicante, where it matures, and with subsidiaries in other parts of Spain, including the island of Tenerife, with SAT Bonnysa. According to the sources consulted, it is the first time that a measure of this type has been adopted with a ripener in the Peninsula.

That commercial company produces and markets bananas from the Canary Islands (at least the one collected by SAT Bonnysa in Tenerife), in this case within the Europlátano OPP, to which Bonnysa Agroalimentaria has belonged since January 1, 2021, according to official information provided by the OPP above. In this peninsular province, Bonnysa, in its chambers, and the Europlátano OPP itself, which also has its facilities, ripen, among other present offers. The decision adopted by Asprocan, which must ensure the correct use of the PGI Plátano de Canarias brand in the application of the management regulation of this EU food label, was adopted several weeks ago and involves the temporary prohibition of the authorisation for the ripening of the PGI fruit Plátano de Canarias from June 20 to August 30 of this year.

The reason for such suspension allegedly has to do with problems detected in marketing that Canarian fruit from ripening facilities located in the province of Alicante owned by Bonnysa. Asprocan, which is the entity that, as manager of the PGI Plátano de Canarias, has the power to adopt measures when irregularities occur in the use of the brand, has indicated this Friday, at the request of this digital media, that "the suspension of certification has been communicated to Asprocan by the certification entity that carries out the control (the verification of compliance with the specifications of the PGI Plátano de Canarias) to this operator. According to the communication received, it is a temporary suspension. We understand these are non-conformities detected in the usual and routine control processes.

The reasons for the suspension are not specified in the communication that the certification body has transferred to Asprocan," they indicate. It also reports that "there have been temporary certificate suspensions previously that have been resolved in less than 48 hours. In this case, the greater temporality has led to this publication for the information of operators".

This temporary suspension is limited only to the ripening operator in Alicante, not affecting the producer operator indicated by [SAT Bonnysa] or the OPP indicated by [Europlátano]". Bonnysa Agroalimentaria, SA, is the parent company, among others, of SAT Bonnysa, a producer and marketing entity of Canarian bananas within the Europlátano OPP and with headquarters and facilities in Granadilla de Abona.