Fairtrade and you

Martin Luther King once said, “We are indebted to half of the world before we finish breakfast” However, this may no longer be the case with the growing popularity of Fairtrade products.

What is Fairtrade and why is it necessary?

Fairtrade is a movement with social-responsibility at its core. Simply put, Fairtrade is about demanding that farmers are treated fairly and receive a fair price for their products.

Although we in the UK enjoy economic prosperity, the same is not true the world over. The world’s forty-eight least developed countries despite containing 10% of the world’s population have seen their total world export fall to only 0.4% . In contrast, to add the populations of the USA and Europe together would give the same number of people, however would account for almost 50% of all world export . The result is a disparity caused by smaller economies being unable to benefit from the same subsidies offered to larger multinationals. Fairtrade is desperately needed to restore this balance.

The growth of Fairtrade Recent years have seen a growth in the sale of Fairtrade products from a total retail value of £16.7 million to an astounding £140 million . It is estimated that in 2004, one in four people were able to recognise a Fairtrade mark . In total there are over 1,300 Fairtrade certified products available ranging from fruit, chocolate, tea and coffee to flowers, wines and beers and even sports balls.

The recent growth in Fairtrade sales has inspired companies to tap into this growing demand. In January 2006, Tesco announced that they would now begin selling Divine chocolate in their Tesco Express supermarkets. Nestlé have also been keen to capitalise on this growing market causing controversy with their announcement of their first Fairtrade coffee, Nescafe Partner Blend. However, this move has not been welcomed by all and many have added this product to the boycott list due to what some consider to be Nestlé’s “oppressive business practices” .

Although Valentines Day has already gone, it is doubtful that many of us will have received Fairtrade chocolate as a gift. However, socially responsible decadence can be had from your armchair with the announcement that Divine Fairtrade chocolate has created an online giftshop. The site allows indulgent gift-sets to be ordered and bought online, and delivered to any address in the UK, leaving no excuse for Mother’s Day gifts not to be Fairtrade.