Fairtrade
The Fairtrade scheme offers certain guarantees about the treatment of those in
the developing world who have supplied the ingredients that go into a product.
These guarantees cover such aspects as the price paid to producers for crops
and
the
treatment of the workers who plant, tend and harvest them. These standards
are
set by the international certification body, Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International , and products meeting them can carry the Fairtrade logo.
UK retail sales of Fairtrade-certified products rose 12% last year to an
estimated £799 million. As the popularity of the Fairtrade concept has risen,
so
has the number of such products on the market.
FDF welcomes this increase in consumer choice, and supports the right of
individual companies to join the Fairtrade scheme, or set up their own, similar
initiatives, as many have done.
FDF members, both those involved in specific
fairtrade
schemes and those who are not, buy ingredients from all over the world,
providing
vital trade for many developing nations. Manufacturers take seriously
their
responsibility towards their suppliers – whether in the UK or abroad –
and
work
hard to
ensure their actions benefit those communities they touch.
More Information
Last reviewed: 09 Mar 2010