“The decision was based on a long-standing public debate on the situation in Gaza, serious human rights violations in the region, increased customer feedback from our owners, and increasingly brutal military actions against civilians in Gaza. At the same time, both the UN and the European Commission made their policy towards Israel more stringent, and this ultimately led to our decision,” explains Nina Elomaa, Senior Vice President, Sustainability.
Since the number of these products in the offering was very small, the decision was easy to implement.
“On the other hand, there were also longer contracts, on the basis of which certain products are sold until the spring, but, for example, dates or fruits can no longer be found in stores,” says Arttu Laine, EVP.
The policy came up in the public debate when it was discussed at the representative council of HOK-Elanto this week. Reactions in the political field in particular have been fierce.
“The decision we made in September is not about politics, but about the European Commission’s proposal that reflects the deteriorating human rights situation in Israel. Of course, we will reassess the situation if circumstances materially change or, for example, the European Commission changes its policies,” says Laine.
