Aucun fruit ne devrait être défendu : Dole Sunshine Company exhorte Sa Sainteté à redorer le blason de la pomme

Cette lettre amusante vise à transformer la pomme du péché originel en collation originelle et à attirer l’attention sur l’importance d’une bonne alimentation pour tous

SINGAPOUR, 1er juillet 2022 /PRNewswire/ — La calamité du péché originel (et le rôle qu’y a joué la pomme) est indéniablement le désastre de relations publiques le plus catastrophique auquel les fruits aient jamais été confrontés. Aujourd’hui, en l’honneur de la journée internationale des fruits, Dole Sunshine Company a publié une lettre ouverte à Sa Sainteté le pape François, dans La Repubblica, pour demander l’absolution pour la pomme. DSC demande de redorer la réputation des fruits et de les célébrer en tant qu’en-cas originels « sains ».

Pendant des milliers d’années, la pomme a subi cette diffamation après qu’Ève ait croqué une bouchée du « fruit défendu » dans le jardin d’Eden. D’une manière amusante, mais qui, espérons-le, portera ses fruits, DSC cherche à inverser cette diffamation et demande au pape François d’absoudre le fruit de son rôle erroné dans le péché originel. La lettre, un plaidoyer humoristique et sans précédent adressé au souverain pontife, vise à susciter un dialogue mondial sur l’importance des fruits dans un régime alimentaire nutritif et à mettre l’accent sur les avantages des fruits et leur accessibilité globale.

« Nous avons conscience que demander ce changement est une demande audacieuse et provocatrice, et nous ne voulons bien sûr pas manquer de respect à Sa Sainteté ou à l’Église », a déclaré Pier Luigi Sigismondi, président du groupe Dole Packaged Foods & Beverages. « Nous pensons que si nous parvenons à corriger cette représentation erronée du fruit, nous pourrons lancer un nouveau récit narratif mondial qui se concentrera sur ses bienfaits, et créera de nouvelles habitudes alimentaires plus saines, conformes à notre objectif qui est de favoriser une bonne nutrition pour tous. »

Publiée dans le seul journal que le pape François a déclaré lire, la lettre souligne respectueusement que, même si la pomme n’a jamais été explicitement nommée dans la Bible, ce fruit, en particulier, a fait l’objet de calomnies depuis qu’il a été associé à tort au péché originel. Et, dans un monde où il existe clairement des aliments plus mauvais et décadents, la pomme ne devrait plus être considérée comme le fruit défendu. DSC soutient plutôt que le fruit peut même être le héros de l’histoire et impulser un changement dans la conversation sur l’alimentation saine. Ainsi, il deviendrait un moteur pour une meilleure nutrition au niveau mondial.

DSC conclut sa lettre par cette demande humble, mais percutante, au pape François :

« Pour toutes ces raisons et bien plus encore, nous demandons humblement l’absolution que vous seul pouvez offrir. Un petit changement qui peut changer le monde. Envisageriez-vous de modifier la Bible ? Seulement un petit mot. Remplacer “fruit” par tout autre aliment malsain, par exemple ? C’est juste une idée. Si cette demande vous semble un peu trop ambitieuse, ne vous inquiétez pas. Nous comprenons. Peut-être qu’un message de soutien contribuerait grandement à restaurer la confiance du monde dans nos fruits bien-aimés. »

L’intégralité de la lettre, parue aujourd’hui dans le journal préféré du pape François, La Repubblica, peut être consultée sur DoleSunshine.com.

À propos de Dole Sunshine Company

Le nom Dole Sunshine Company est utilisé pour représenter les intérêts mondiaux et les efforts combinés de Dole Asia Holdings, Dole Worldwide Packaged Foods et Dole Asia Fresh. Dole Sunshine Company n’est pas une entité commerciale réelle et n’opère pas en tant que telle dans quelque pays ou région que ce soit. Pour en savoir plus sur Dole Sunshine Company, visitez DoleSunshine.com.

À propos de la promesse de Dole

En juin 2020, Dole Asia Holdings a annoncé la promesse de Dole, dont les trois piliers sont la nutrition, la durabilité et la création d’une valeur commune.

Faire mieux pour les personnes : Faire en sorte que 1 milliard de personnes aient accès à une alimentation durable d’ici 2025 et éliminer le sucre raffiné de tous les produits Dole Packaged Foods d’ici 2025.

Faire mieux pour la planète : Faire en sorte de ne gaspiller aucun fruit des exploitations Dole jusqu’aux marchés d’ici 2025 et supprimer les emballages de plastique fabriqués à partir de combustibles fossiles d’ici 2025. Nous visons aussi à ce que les activités de Dole atteignent la carboneutralité d’ici 2030.

Faire mieux pour tous les intervenants : Dole continuera d’avoir une influence positive sur l’ensemble des agriculteurs, des communautés et des personnes qui travaillent pour elle grâce à son engagement envers l’égalité salariale et des chances et en offrant un niveau toujours plus élevé de sécurité, de nutrition et de bien-être. L’entreprise cherche également à promouvoir les droits de l’homme dans le cadre de ses activités et au sein de ses chaînes d’approvisionnement en bâtissant une culture de transparence et de responsabilité. Dole a aussi pour objectif d’augmenter la valeur de son entreprise de 50 % d’ici 2025.

Dole Packaged Foods, LLC, a subsidiary of Dole International Holdings, is a leader in sourcing, processing, distributing and marketing fruit products and healthy snacks throughout the world. Dole markets a full line of canned, jarred, cup, frozen and dried fruit products and is an innovator in new forms of packaging and processing fruits and vegetables. For more information please visit Dole.com.

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Growing Health Crisis Seen in Horn of Africa as Acute Hunger Spreads

GENEVA — The World Health Organization is warning of growing health risks in the Horn of Africa as acute hunger spreads there.

The World Health Organization’s incident manager for the Horn of Africa, Sophie Maes, says urgent action is needed to slow the health and hunger crisis that is sickening and killing increasing numbers of people in the region.

WHO has released $16.5 million from its emergency fund for operations there.

“Due to the acute food insecurity, malnutrition rates are getting higher and higher, and especially children and pregnant and lactating women are very, very vulnerable,” said Maes. “… There is this synergy between malnutrition and disease where malnourished children become more easily sick and sick children more easily malnourished.”

The World Food Program warns 20 million people are at risk of starvation as drought in the Horn worsens.

Speaking from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Maes says the priority is to ensure everyone has access to food. At the same time, she says it is important that’ health needs are not neglected.

She warns the risk of disease outbreaks is higher because of a lack of clean water. She says the drought has dried up water sources, forcing people to leave their homes in search of food, water, and pasture for their cattle. Consequently, she says people are more likely to get sick as their living conditions deteriorate.

“And we are seeing a spike in disease outbreaks. We are looking at measles in Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan,” said Maes. “Cholera and acute water diarrhea in Kenya, in South Sudan and Somalia. Meningitis, Hepatitis E, to name but a few.”

Maes appeals for international support to help WHO provide needed care to severely malnourished children.

She says it is crucial to respond to disease outbreaks quickly, to have sufficient supplies of drugs and equipment available, and to ensure children receive needed vaccines.

Source: Voice Of America

Djibouti: Hunger Crisis – Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA) DREF Operation no. MDRDJ005

DR-2022-000238-DJI

A. Situation analysis

Description of the disaster

IPC projections for July to December 2022 indicate an increase in the number of acutely food insecure people, likely reaching 192,168 people, representing 16% of analysed population (1.2 million people, which is about the entire country). The number of people in emergency (IPC 4) will likely increase 12,390 people, a 250% rise from the current numbers, while the 179,778 people could be in crisis (IPC 3).

Current IPC analysis for the period of March to June 2022, highlight that approximately 132,000 people, representing 11% of the analysed population (of nearly 1.2 million people), are estimated to be acutely food insecure (IPC Phase 3 and 4). More precisely, an estimated 5,000 people (less than one percent of the population analysed) are estimated to already be in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and approximately 127,000 people (11% of the population analysed) are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).

Recurrent and severe droughts in Djibouti over the past two decades have led to a significant deterioration in food security.

Out of the six provinces in Djibouti, four provinces are projected to have at least 20% of their overall population in Crisis (IPC 3) or emergency phase (IPC 4) between July and December 2022 including Ali Sabieh (33%), Arta (32%), Obock (21%) and Tadjourah (20%) as seen in the table.

IPC’s analysis is supported by FEWS NET’s Global Weather Hazards Summary which indicates that the Greater Horn of Africa experienced a very poor March/May rainy season. Rainfall accumulation accounted for only 25 – 50 percent of the average over most areas and localized areas registered even less than 25 percent of their average rainfall. Overall, the rainy season was delayed by more than twenty days in many areas and distribution was also limited although favorable rainfall was reported over some areas in May, the timing was too late, and amounts were not sufficient to fully relieve dryness. Moreover, in its first issue on Drought Impacts in Djibouti, published on 3rd March 2022, WFP highlights that vegetation and groundwater are significantly below average in most parts of the country, affecting Argo-pastoralist livelihoods which depend mainly on meat and milk for nutrition and income in rural areas.

On 9 May 2022, the President of Djibouti, in an address to the 15th Summit of Heads of State and Government of Member States of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought, called for greater international solidarity in the face of the drastic consequences of global warming and the reduction of arable land in several regions of the world, especially in Djibouti, which is known for its semi-arid and arid climate. Earlier, on 13 February 2021, the Government of Djibouti issued a drought alert in the country, citing critically low groundwater levels and deteriorated vegetation and pasture following a lack of rains over the last three years extending to February 2022 and high record temperatures since 1981.

Drawing from the above and in line with IFRC’s pan-African Zero Hunger Initiative, Djibouti Red Crescent Society (DRCS), is seeking support to provide immediate assistance to communities in crisis and emergencies. To enable this, there is a need for the National Society to engage with communities, through in-depth multi-sectoral assessments, to understand their needs and how best to support them, as well as engage with authorities and partners to ensure complementarity of actions with the wider hunger response coordination, in their role as auxiliary to the authorities. The result of these consultations and assessments will inform the operational strategy of the DRCS and the next steps for the National Society.

Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies

UnionPay International seals a deal with NASCU to roll out UnionPay cards

LUSAKA, Zambia, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — UnionPay International (UPI) today proudly announces a new partnership with National Association of Savings and Credit Unions (NASCU), the apex organisation for all financial cooperatives in Zambia, to issue UnionPay debit Card. This new partnership empowers rural and urban savings groups, village banking, and other forms of cooperative society members to aid savings and investments. These groups’ earnings primarily depend on agricultural activities, mining, small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The NASCU Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Febian Mubuyaeta reiterated that most cooperatives in both rural and urban areas in Zambia depend mainly on doing cash business. The partnership between NASCU and UnionPay provides support to all forms of savings groups, village banking, and other multipurpose cooperatives involved in pooling members’ savings deposits and shares to finance their loan portfolios.

“We are thrilled to combine efforts with NASCU to ensure Zambian populations have easy, secure, and convenient payment access to their funds that help them accomplish their goals”, stated Mr. Asad Burney, Head of UnionPay International African Branch.

The program’s target is to be extended to reach a million members in three years. Currently, more than 90% of merchants in Zambia accept UnionPay cards. These cardholders can also use their UnionPay cards conveniently in 180 countries and regions.

No Fruit Should be Forbidden: Dole Sunshine Company Urges His Holiness to Redeem the Apple

The lighthearted letter looks to update the apple from Original Sin to Original Snack, and shine the global spotlight on the importance of good nutrition for all

SINGAPORE, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The calamity of original sin – and the apple’s role in it – is undeniably the most catastrophic PR disaster fruit has ever faced. Today, in honor of International Fruit Day, the Dole Sunshine Company (DSC) issued an open letter to His Holiness, Pope Francis, via La Repubblica, seeking absolution for the apple. DSC is asking to redeem the reputation of fruit to celebrate it as the Original ‘Healthy’ Snack instead.

For thousands of years the apple has faced this vilification after Eve took a bite from the ‘forbidden fruit’ in the Garden of Eden. In a fun but hopefully fruitful manner, DSC is looking to reverse this vilification and has requested Pope Francis to absolve fruit of its misconceived role in Original Sin. The letter – a humorous and unprecedented plea to the Pontiff – is meant to spark global dialogue around the importance of fruit for a nutritious diet and focus in on fruit’s benefits and overall global accessibility.

“We understand that requesting this change is a bold and provocative ask, and we of course mean no disrespect to His Holiness or The Church,” said Pier Luigi Sigismondi, President of Dole Packaged Foods & Beverages Group. “We believe if we can resolve this misrepresentation of fruit, we can start a new global narrative that focuses on its benefits, and creates new, healthier eating habits that are consistent to our purpose to bring good nutrition to all.”

Dole Packaged Foods, LLC, a subsidiary of Dole International Holdings, is a leader in sourcing, processing, distributing and marketing fruit products and healthy snacks throughout the world. Dole markets a full line of canned, jarred, cup, frozen and dried fruit products and is an innovator in new forms of packaging and processing fruits and vegetables. For more information please visit Dole.com. (PRNewsFoto/Dole Packaged Foods, LLC)

The letter – published in the only newspaper Pope Francis has stated he reads – respectfully points out that even though the apple was never mentioned by name in the Bible, that this fruit, in particular, has been the recipient of slander since it was wrongfully associated with Original Sin. And, in a world where there are clearly more sinful and decadent foods to reach for, the apple should no longer be considered forbidden. Rather, DSC argues that fruit itself can be the hero, and the impetus for a change in conversation around healthy eating and a driver for better nutrition globally.

DSC concludes the letter with this humble, yet compelling request to Pope Francis:

“For all these reasons and more, we humbly ask for the absolution that only you can offer. A tiny change that can change the world. Would you consider amending the Bible? Just a tiny word. Replacing ‘fruit’ for any other unhealthy food, for instance? Just an idea. If that request sounds a bit too ambitious, no worries. We get it. Maybe then a message of support would go a long way to restoring the world’s faith in our beloved fruits.”

View the letter in full – which appeared today in Pope Francis’ newspaper of choice, La Repubblica – at DoleSunshine.com.

About Dole Sunshine Company

The name Dole Sunshine Company is used to represent the global interests and combined efforts of Dole Asia Holdings, Dole Worldwide Packaged Foods and Dole Asia Fresh. Dole Sunshine Company is not an actual business entity and does not operate as such in any country or region. For more information on Dole Sunshine Company, please visit DoleSunshine.com.

About the Dole Promise

In June 2020 Dole Asia Holdings announced The Dole Promise, with its three pillars around nutrition, sustainability, and the creation of shared value.

Better for People: Access to sustainable nutrition for 1 billion people by 2025, moving towards zero processed sugar in all Dole Packaged Foods products by 2025.

Better for Planet: Working towards zero fruit loss from Dole farms to markets by 2025, aiming for zero fossil-based plastic packaging by 2025. Working towards net zero carbon emissions in Dole operations by 2030.

Better for all Stakeholders: Dole will continue to positively impact all farmers, communities and people working for Dole – through its commitment to equal opportunity, living wages, and an ever-increasing level of safety, nutrition, and wellbeing. The company also seeks to advance human rights within the direct operations and supply chains by building a culture of transparency and accountability. The company also aims for a 50% increase in the value of its business by 2025.

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