Fairtrade product sales rose 12% worldwide in 2011 due to ethical sourcing commitments from the food and drink industry and increased consumer awareness.
Mars Chocolate has introduced Malteasers made with Fairtrade certified cocoa to the UK market as part of its ongoing pledge to achieve cocoa sustainability.
US Fairtrade chocolate purchases shot up by 19 per cent last year, according to Fair Trade US, a sales boom that has been seen across the globe for food and drink products carrying the ethical label.
Industrial chocolate supplier, Blommer Chocolate, said it is set to receive a record-breaking shipment of cocoa beans containing a large percentage of sustainably farmed and Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa, despite political turmoil in the region.
A new minimum price for Fairtrade organic cocoa, which comes into force early next year, will act as an income safety net for growers amid ongoing price volatility in the sector, according to the organization behind the standard.
There is enough volume of Fairtrade cocoa available to supply more large brands switching product lines to Fairtrade, according to the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO).
A hike in US$50 in the Fairtrade premium per metric tonne (MT) of cocoa should encourage investment in sustainable cocoa initiatives and better farming practices, claims the group behind the standard, which expects ongoing growth in Fairtrade products.
Kraft said work conducted by the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership initiative in Ghana will see more cocoa farmer organisations becoming Fairtrade certified by the end of 2010, to ensure sustainability of supply and a guaranteed income for growers.
Around 1.2 million farmers and workers around the world are estimated to have benefited from Fairtrade certification and labelling schemes in 2009, says FLO, with coffee still the largest category.
A hike in sales volumes of Fairtrade chocolate in the UK are expected following a retailer’s decision to extend its own brand range of the ethically sourced chocolate.
As Cargill expands its cocoa farmer training programme in the Ivory Coast this month, we caught up with managing director of Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, Harold Poelma, to hear about developments in the sourcing of sustainably derived cocoa and his...
The first shipment of Fairtrade certified cocoa by farmers based in Sierra Leone has been bought by Divine Chocolate, a company co-owned by cocoa farmers in Ghana.
UK consumers are likely to become more interested in purchasing ethically produced foods as the country emerges from recession, according to research from IGD.
Cadbury CEO Todd Stitzer told a fair trade conference in London on Thursday that taking away its “principled capitalism” would destroy Cadbury’s appeal, according to the UK’s Guardian newspaper.
Cadbury has pledged to achieve Fair Trade certification for its Dairy Milk bars in Canada after successfully making the Fair Trade transition in Britain and Ireland.
The European Commission has today adopted a communication on the importance of fair trade and non-governmental trade-related sustainability schemes, recognising their progress and pledging ongoing support.
Cadbury’s commitment to source cocoa for its popular Dairy Milk chocolate bars is a strong signal that responsible sourcing is moving out of a niche and into the mainstream, and will introduce more consumers to the principal.
In a market that showed year-on-year growth of 47 per cent, the signs are evident that opportunities exist for confectioners to win gains through fairtrade confectionery products, but the limited roll-out of such targeted products in the past year shows...
The world needs an independent trade watchdog to properly regulate
the international food supply chain if we as a society are to truly
create a more sustainable and ethical food market.
Food companies do not yet face the ethical sourcing equation of the
clothing industry, where brands from Nike to Marks & Spencer
cannot afford a single claim of sweat-shop production. But the
moment is fast approaching for food,...
Leading merchant of cocoa, sugar and coffee ED&F Man has
launched Corigins, a US-based supplier offering traceable, quality
sugar and cocoa ingredients, Philippa Nuttall reports.
Starbucks Coffee has formed a partnership with a US development
agency and environmental conservationists to help ensure a
sustainable supply of high quality coffee from Latin America.
As French supermarkets embark upon the second ethical trading
promotion of the year this week, the latest survey of consumer
preferences carried out by the Casino group suggests that
increasing numbers of shoppers are prepared to...
Cafédirect, the UK's largest supplier of ethical tea and coffee
under the Fairtrade mark, has reported record sales for the year to
end March - a performance which confirms the growing importance of
ethical food and drink products...
British shoppers are becoming increasingly ethical when it comes to
choosing what they eat, according to a survey of shoppers released
this week - a shift in consumer attitudes which has proven
particularly beneficial for Fairtrade...
Fairtrade foods, schemes that seek to guarantee farmers in
developing nations a fair deal, are making inroads into the
mainstream, thanks to support from the major supermarkets and
changing consumer concerns, reports market research...
The vast disparity between the price consumers in the UK pay for
their chocolate and the amount West African cocoa growers are paid
for the key ingredient in the confectionery has been highlighted
again this week by the Co-op. The...
