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February 11, 2012
Swedish burger chain ditches Dole over Bananas!* lawsuit
Published: 6 Oct 09 07:25 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/22484/20091006/
Swedish hamburger chain Max has said it will stop selling Dole fruit salad in retaliation for the US food giant’s bid to muzzle a Swedish documentary film about the company.
- Swedish MPs back filmmaker's battle with US food giant (1 Oct 09)
- US food giant sues Swedish filmmaker (10 Jul 09)
- 'Burger battle' may prove costly for Borås (22 Sep 08)
Bergfors' decision to have his company boycott Dole products comes following reports that the food company continues its legal fight to stop Bananas!*, a film by Swedish documentary filmmaker Fredrik Gertten, from being released.
The film depicts the plight of a group of Nicaraguan workers as they pursue complaints that Dole made them sterile by using banned pesticides on the banana fields in which they worked.
Bergfors took the decision after learning from a customer about Dole’s lawsuit against Gertten.
While he hasn’t seen the film, Bergfors said he plans to do so.
In the mean time, he is moving ahead with plans to remove Dole products from the Max menu.
“It’s important for us to show Dole that this isn’t acceptable,” Bergfors told Realtid.se.
“I think Dole risks losing more customers on account of their misguided actions. In Sweden we believe in open dialogue and debate. Everyone can make mistakes, but then you have to admit it.”
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
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In this case, it sounds like this "DOCUMENTARY" is a complete work of fiction!
I have no loveloss for the multinationals and I would love nothing better than to expose the corruptness and barbarianism that they visit upon people - but I also think you do MORE harm by telling LIES that masquerade as the TRUTH than you do when you expose the truths that are claimed as lies!
This "DOCUMENTARY" is like the boy who cried wolf! When the real wolf shows up, no one will believe it.
So some Swedish government ministers and now MAX look like idiots defending a lie!
I think reading between the lines we will find that MAX was actually looking at a cheaper vendor and thought this would be a better way of saying good by to Dole while at the same time looking like the GOOD GUY standing up for the PEOPLE by sticking it to the MAN!!!
If you want to support the resistance to Dole and not buy their bananas , then you better give up bananas altogether, as the alternative available in Sweden- Chiquita - has just as murky reputation. Both companies are responsible for creating the "Banana Republics"
Wow what a surprise, the article (or probably the film) does not mention how the law firm recruited as many people as they could to testify in court (to increase the class action status, and the payout). Or how they had South American doctors file fraudulent reports on their behalf. Or how it was found out the law firm coached the workers to lie under oath to gather sympathy. Oddly all these facts are missing. Dont get me wrong companies' actions have hurt employees (usually in the poorer parts of the world) but it is disgusting how these sleazy law firms fraudulently increase the "victims" just to increase the settlement payout.
The same thing will happen with the Shell lawsuit. Hundreds (if not thousands) of people will be gathered to testify. Many will have never been harmed by the company, but the promise of free money will lure them, and the law firm will get extra tens of millions of dollars, all for a little white lie. No one gets hurt, well except those working for the company who are laid off due to the financial strains, oh and the workers that actually WERE harmed and have to accept a much smaller settlement due to the freeloaders. Sick that this movie promotes this.
Is Dole looking to downgrade it's global earnings forecast as a direct result of Richard Bergfors misguided actions? Uhm, no.
Is Max looking to further downgrade it's food quality and freshness forecast now that it's decided to discontinue the only item worth buying from them. Yes.
Is Richard Bergfors a silly, silly boy? Yes!!
Jus as mkvgtired noted above, one has yet to show that there is more truth in this "Fictiomentary" than just a desire of the publicity on filmm aker\s and law company's account. And the Sededsa re just so naive to think that those "poor" guys are made suffer by these "vicious" big companies...
As usual, when bad guys fight, good people have to suffer.
you still want to attempt to defend demonic dole? shame on you if you do!
The rest of your commentary is fine, but please don't assert false facts as it detracts from the validity of the rest of what you say.