Preserved fruit and sustainable use of plant protection products

Lazaya’s preserved fruit is the result of a careful process of cultivation, harvesting and processing in which we promote the conservation of the environment. It is one of Lazaya’s corporate values pursued in all our actions.

Accordingly, we can proudly say that we respect and take care of the environment in each of the stages of production of our preserved fruit. In this way, we avoid contaminating as much as possible, minimizing the generation of waste and rationalizing the use of natural and energy resources in our region of Calatayud (Aragón, Spain).

How we take care of the environment to process our preserved fruit

To guarantee the environmental sustainability of our production, we avoid as much as possible any type of contamination, minimize the generation of waste and make a proper use of natural and energy resources. Bearing these priorities in mind, Lazaya has become a pioneering preserved fruit factory in Aragon, Spain, regarding savings in the water used for irrigation.

Even from the cultivation of our own fruit trees, we make all the necessary efforts to take care of the environment, to which we feel very united (we are the third generation in taking control of a family business that dates back to the middle of the 20th century). We understand the growing concern of society for the environment, and that is why we are firm supporters of sustainable agriculture. The tendency in all the decisions we make and the actions we carry out leads us steadily towards organic farming. To achieve this end, we have been taking the necessary steps for years,  in a progressive and clearly structured manner.

Accordingly,  we have been developing a responsible application of plant protection products in Lazaya’s plantations since their production is aimed  to the manufacture of our quality preserved fruit . We do it this way:

• GlobalG.A.P standards are strictly followed in our own lands. It sets up a charter of good practices in agriculture for both suppliers and sellers. This standard, created in 1997 under the acronym EUREPG.A.P. has become the leading international certification on good agricultural practices.
• An agronomist engineer is in charge of the follow-up of the plantations where we grow our own fruit throughout the year, carefully controlling the application of phytosanitary products.
• The sprayers with which these products are applied pass regular inspections in order to ensure their correct operation and the application of the minimum acceptable level of phytosanitary product to guarantee its effectiveness.
• We control and verify that there are no pesticide residues on the raw material when purchasing fruit from external suppliers in the area due to production needs

Another “green actions” we have carried out…

1. Boiler replacement from fuel oil to gas in our facilities in Calatayud in order to reduce polluting emissions to the atmosphere (an action that was carried out 4 years ago).
2. Implementation of a heat recovery system to take advantage of the energy used in the factory in a more efficient way.
3. Use of organic waste for composting.
4. Study of generated wastewater in order to save clean water in the production lines dedicated to candy fruit and thus pour a smaller volume of wastewater after the process.

At Lazaya, we understand the growing concern of consumers about the safety of food, the impact on the environment and the health and the work safety. We therefore ensure that the manufacture of our delicious preserved fruit products is as respectable with the the environment as possible.

If you want to know more details about our production of preserved fruit, do not hesitate to contact us. We will be glad to assist you and solve your doubts.