Madrid — The World Citrus Organisation (WCO) has issued a strong warning against the growing use of private food safety standards by major retailers, arguing that these “unscientific requirements” risk destabilising the global citrus sector, undermining growers’ livelihoods, and potentially reducing supply to consumers.
The organisation, which represents producers and exporters worldwide, presented its concerns in a new position paper unveiled this week at the Fruit Attraction trade fair in Madrid. The document, published in English, Spanish, and French, sets out how private rules—often stricter than those established by national and international regulators—are creating mounting challenges for the citrus industry.
According to the WCO, the spread of private food safety criteria contradicts scientific evidence and erodes confidence in the role of competent public authorities. In particular, it highlights retailer-driven restrictions on plant protection products and maximum residue levels (MRLs) that exceed official legal thresholds.
“These non-scientific requirements threaten the sustainability of the citrus sector, jeopardise farmers’ livelihoods, and may ultimately reduce supply to consumer markets,” the WCO warned in its statement.
Boitshoko Ntshabele of South Africa’s Citrus Growers Association (CGA) stressed that producers are already complying with national and international safety regulations designed to protect consumers. He cautioned that retailers’ private standards could have damaging unintended consequences.
“While citrus growers comply with national and international regulations to ensure safe and nutritious fruit, retailers are increasingly enforcing private rules that exceed legal requirements and might impact volume and competitiveness of trade,” Ntshabele said. “This might limit the efficiency of the necessary treatment to mitigate the evolution of pests and disease as a result of climate change.”
The WCO’s position paper, Private Food Safety Criteria and their Impact on the Citrus Sector, outlines three key areas of concern:
- Bans on legally approved active substances — These could compromise growers’ ability to control pests and diseases.
- Stricter MRLs than those set by law — Such limits may drive resistance build-up, increase food waste, and impose economic losses on producers.
- Restrictions on the number of residues allowed — A practice the WCO says makes Integrated Pest Management (IPM) unworkable, thereby reducing climate resilience and generating more waste.
The organisation argues that these measures, while ostensibly aimed at consumer safety, risk backfiring by making citrus production less sustainable and fruit less available.
Industry leaders are urging dialogue between retailers and growers to prevent unnecessary burdens on producers. Jose Antonio Garcia Fernandez of Ailimpo, Spain’s lemon and grapefruit interprofessional association, called for greater cooperation across the supply chain.
“It is important to enter into constructive dialogue within the supply chain to avoid a proliferation of subjective requirements that will add confusion and unnecessary costs on growers,” Garcia Fernandez said. “Failure to do so could compromise fruit quality, increase food waste, and ultimately limit the availability of citrus on supermarket shelves.”
The citrus sector plays a vital role in global agriculture and trade. Bard Bennis of Morocco’s Les Domaines Agricoles, and current WCO president, underscored the scale of the industry and the responsibility borne by growers.
“Among the fruit and vegetable categories, citrus is one of the largest groups, with around 135 million tonnes produced annually on 10 million hectares around the world,” Bennis noted. “Every year, between 45 to 50 million tonnes are traded globally with a value of over US$50 billion.”
He added that citrus producers are committed to responsible practices: “Our growers take this role seriously and comply with the most responsible and sustainable agriculture practices to bring confidence to consumers around the world with quality and safe citrus.”
As climate change intensifies pest and disease pressures, the WCO maintains that growers must be allowed to rely on science-based regulation rather than retailer-imposed rules. Unless the trend toward private standards is addressed, the organisation fears that production costs will rise, fruit waste will increase, and global markets could face supply disruptions.
The WCO has called on retailers to align their food safety requirements with established international standards and engage constructively with growers to protect both consumer trust and the long-term sustainability of the citrus industry.
