Using a combination of social psychology and economic models, a new UK study shows fair trade product sales increased in popularity during an economic downturn while organic product sales dropped, indicating a divide between the two labels’ favourability...
While the vanilla industry is seeing low prices and low demand this year, Virginia Dare’s partnerships with 1,300 growers in Madagascar are focused on fortifying communities’ livelihoods through social, environmental and economic initiatives that help...
Empty supermarket shelves and stock shortages are becoming increasingly common in the UK, but the Fairtrade Foundation has issued a warning that everyday essentials including cocoa, bananas and coffee could be at risk of becoming ‘endangered’ due to climate...
With support from the Conseil du Café Cacao (CCC) and Ivoirian Ministry of Agriculture, the the launch took place in in Abidjan. The Livelihoods Ecosystem Advancement Program (LEAP) was co-created by the ECOOKIM cooperative farmers, Mars and Fairtrade...
Mars Incorporated has announced two ‘groundbreaking’ programmes in a new effort by a major chocolate company to improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa farmers.
Who grows my food, are they paid fairly, and do they use eco-friendly farming methods? These are some of the questions being asked by conscious consumers at the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow this month.
As the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (also known as COP26) gets underway today in a rainy Glasgow, a new Fairtrade study has revealed findings that ‘paints a bleak picture’ of the future for cocoa and other commodities.
People are paying more attention than ever to the conditions behind the products they buy as a way to make a difference in the world, according to new research findings released by GlobeScan and Fairtrade International.
Specially commissioned film designed to reveal to consumers how choosing Fairtrade chocolate can change the lives and futures of cocoa farmers and their communities.
GoodSam Foods, a new brand of no-sugar-added, direct-trade chocolate launched by BeyondBrands, has entered the sugar-free chocolate confectionery category with products sweetened with emerging sweetener allulose.
New data shows women could be struggling on just 23p (29c) a day, well below the extreme poverty line of £1.40 ($1.81) and organisation calls on government and chocolate companies to join the Alliance on Living Incomes in Cocoa, a new international initiative.
Latest assessment by worldwide B Corporation movement puts Fairtrade’s ethical and premium chocolate brand as one of the highest scoring B Corps in the world.
Fair trade standards should become watchdogs instead of the benchmark for sustainability, argues the recently appointed head of sustainable commodities NGO Solidaridad.
Latest Lumina Intelligence analysis draws on labeling and product information of almost 3,000 chocolate, coffee and tea products in leading online stores across 20 countries, as well as 900 commitments to sustainability from 34 leading companies.
Despite garnering plenty of accolades for its single-origin bars, the Massachusetts chocolatier decided to call it quits after 12 years. For founder Colin Gasko, the business model of boutique chocolate seems ‘unsustainable.’
The trade group focused on the craft chocolate industry will honor four individuals and one family on June 22 at its Elevate Chocolate event in New York City.
Increases to Fair Trade minimum price and premium aim to address extreme poverty and related child labor in cocoa-producing communities in West Africa.
Caring for the environment, showing off a transparent supply chain, and giving back are no longer optional but necessary for companies looking to build trust with today’s consumers.
Nearly a decade and eight retail shops later, Dandelion Chocolate has expanded production to a ‘tech-forward’ space in San Francisco with room for manufacturing, retail and education.
Fairtrade Fortnight, which starts on Monday, February 25, sees businesses backing Fairtrade’s cocoa campaign with calls for more action from UK government.
In the week Fairtrade made a major announcement on increasing its Minimum Price for cocoa and upping its farmers’ premium payments, Jon Walker, the foundation’s senior cocoa advisor, talks exclusively to Confectionery News about Fairtrade’s strategy for...
Organic bars will sell through House of Fair Trade organization and will feature Fairtrade cocoa sourced from CECAQ-11 farmers’ co-operative on the West African island.
Organizations’ market leading Fairtrade cocoa commitment works to inspire a generation of female farmers, to fight gender stereotypes and empower them to be future leaders.
Fairtrade auditing body FLOCERT has decertified Peruvian cocoa cooperative COPASA, which was accused of being a ghost organization of major trader Ecom.
Major cocoa trader Ecom says a Peruvian cocoa cooperative it financially supports is not a ghost organization of Ecom after the co-op was suspended by Fairtrade.
Cocoa producer organizations fear there is a growing number of so-called ‘fake cooperatives’, which are beholden to chocolate companies and cocoa traders that provide financial assistance.
‘One of the most difficult issues associated with sustainable sourcing is whether companies should adopt third party standards or develop in-house schemes.
Many consumers struggle to tell the difference between cocoa certification program labels like Fairtrade and company own labels, such as Nestlé’s Cocoa Plan, but all agree social responsibility should be a priority for chocolate makers.
The Swiss buy more fair trade foods than Germans, but it’s not just because there are more products available to them: they’re also “more ethically convinced” by these products, researchers have found.
Eight-minute podcast: Fairtrade’s new cocoa director
Fairtrade International plans next year to review its minimum price and premium for certified cocoa against a study measuring the drivers of income for farmers.
Collaborative research by Fair Trade USA and Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) suggests 59% of consumers recognize the Fair Trade Certified label, compared to 38% in 2012.
A growing trend for sustainability certifications and on pack ‘branding’ could mean manufacturers are missing the wider point of sustainability issues and may confuse consumers so much they no longer care.
The chocolate industry must commit to longer sourcing agreements if it expects farmers to be able to invest in cocoa productivity and quality, according to a leading farming cooperative in Côte d’Ivoire.
Consumers in producer countries are increasingly interested in Fairtrade certified products as a means of supporting their domestic economy, according to Fairtrade International’s annual report.
The confectionery industry is in good shape and demand for sustainable products and those catering to health needs has never been higher, according to ISM organizer Koelnmesse.
Fair Trade USA has finalized its labeling policy after over six months of consultation. NGO Fair World Project supports some of the changes but feels the policy does not go far enough to combat exploitative sugar sourcing.
Branded chocolate makers could get a sales boost by cutting prices for fairtrade products in developed markets and making items more readily available, according to an analyst from Euromonitor.
Fair Trade USA is considering much maligned changes to its labeling policy that would no longer require brands to source ingredients from a Fair Trade source even when one is available – is its draft policy fair or misleading?
Fair Trade USA claims that draft changes to its labeling policy allowing brands with 20% certified ingredients to carry its logo are justified in composite products like chocolate because components like sugar are mainly sourced domestically in the US...
Not-for-profit organization Fair World Project has criticized changes to Fair Trade USA's labeling policy, which allows chocolate to carry the seal when it contains a high percentage of other ingredients like sugar that are not fairly traded.
Fairtrade International has said the number of farmers and workers benefitting from the system increased by 13% in 2011 as the food and drink industry continues to pledge its support, according to a new report.
