Sales of Fair Trade Certified products to US grocery stores has risen 30% in the last year, according to newly-published data. During the 52 weeks to 4 September, sales to food, drug, mass-merchandise and natural-food stores reached US$140m, figures from industry consultants SPIN show. The data excludes sales at Wal-Mart Stores, Whole Food Market and of own-label products. Sales of packaged coffee certified as Fair Trade grew 44%, while ready-to-drink tea and coffee sales were up 51%. Fair Trade... ...Read more »

The global cost of Fairtrade cocoa will rise in January, certification body Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) has announced. From 1 January, the “Fairtrade Minimum Price” – a floor which buyers must always pay – will rise to US$2,000 a metric tonne. The New Year will also see cocoa farmers earn US$200 in a “Fairtrade Premium” for every metric tonne of the ingredient they sell – up from $150 a tonne. The “premium” is added... ...Read more »

US food giant Kraft Foods has begun selling Cadbury’s Dairy Milk bar as Fairtrade in Canada.Cadbury, five months before it was acquired by Kraft, announced in August last year that it would begin selling the bar as Fairtrade in Canada, Australia and New Zealand by this summer. The Fairtrade-certified Cadbury Dairy Milk bars are now available in stores across Canada, the firm said on Monday (20 September), and includes all Dairy Milk bars without nuts, fruit or other inclusions. This includes... ...Read more »

Clipper Teas, which holds one third of the total organic tea market in the UK, is coming to Australia next week to introduce the Australian market to the new look Clipper tea bags. The supplier of choice in Fairtrade teas for Cathay Pacific Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Eurostar, TGV French rail network and Nandos restaurant group; Clipper Teas has just rebranded its tea range to help it remain at the forefront of this popular English cultural tradition. Established in Dorset in 1984, Clipper... ...Read more »

Despite an economically difficult year, sales of fairtrade products have been roaring, with consumers around the world spending around AU$5.4 billion on Fairtrade products in 2009 – a 15% increase over 2008. Australian and New Zealand consumers were a particularly strong market, increasing their Fairtrade shopping by 58%, compared to 14% in the UK and 7% in the US. Fairtrade cocoa grew by 35% and and sugar by 57%, thanks in part to Fairtrade committments by global chocolate and confectionary brands,... ...Read more »

Marks and Spencer has started selling Fairtrade-certified vegetables, with the launch of green beans from Kenya. The UK retailer will add Fairtrade green beans to its stable of over 300 different Fairtrade food, drink and flowers lines. M&S has reported success with Fairtrade products, reporting a sales rise of 40% last year. The move has been made possible by the extension of Fairtrade standards for vegetables to include small-scale outgrowers who can only access export markets by selling crops... ...Read more »

Coles is celebrating the 2010 Fair Trade Fortnight by expanding its market-leading Fairtrade Certified product range. Coles will launch eight new high-quality Fairtrade Certified tea and coffee housebrand products in stores this June. The new lines further cement Coles’ position as having the largest range of Fairtrade Certified products of any Australian supermarket chain, with 40 housebrand and proprietary Fair Trade products on shelf. The new lines have been developed to the same high standards... ...Read more »

A range of leading Australian businesses have announced Big Swaps to fair trade products as part of Fair Trade Fortnight (1-16 May) – Australia’s biggest annual celebration of the life-changing difference fair trade makes for millions of developing country farmers, their families and communities. As part of the Fortnight’s launch in Sydney last Friday (30 April), two of Australia’s leading national law firms, Mallesons Stephen Jaques and Allens Arthur Robinson, were awarded... ...Read more »

With the Fairtrade Fortnight approaching this coming May, Australians have a real opportunity to boost the Fairtrade movement in Australia. However, Datamonitor research has determined that it will require a concerted effort from consumers and industry players alike to bring Fairtrade into the mainstream. Fairtrade Fortnight will take place in Australia and New Zealand from 1-16 May, 2010 and the ‘Big Swap’ campaign, organized by the Fairtrade Association, challenges consumers to swap as... ...Read more »

You may think otherwise but there is optimism in organic at the moment.After the recession whacked organic sales of the UK (down almost 13% last year), you would have thought there would have been a downbeat mood at this year’s Natural and Organic Products Europe show in London. just-food’s visit to Olympia yesterday (12 April) was admittedly a brief one, but there was a tangible mood of determination that the recovery could bring brighter times. Data on 2009 organic sales in the UK,... ...Read more »