Cheap supermarket Valentine roses 'exploit the poor'

Last updated at 21:32 13 February 2008


Roses

Supermarkets selling cheap Valentine's Day roses have been accused of exploiting workers in Africa.

Asda is offering two dozen roses for just £4, while Tesco and Morrisons sell bunches of 12 for less than £5.

War on Want says many of these are grown in Kenya and other Third World nations where staff get as little as 10p an hour.

The charity says the workers toil 14 hours a day in poor conditions for pay that fails to meet costs of food and housing.

It also claims staff are exposed to pesticides without adequate protection.

The concerns, however, are at odds with advice from International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander, who is promoting the purchase of flowers from Kenya.

He said they would give an important boost to a nation riven by political strife and riots.

Asda insisted its roses were ethically sourced from farms where the conditions and wages were regularly audited.

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