Cadbury’s much-anticipated move towards Fairtrade sugar and cocoa has reached the consumer, with Cadbury’s flagship Dairy Milk brand now carrying the Fairtrade logo in Australia and New Zealand. The company has begun purchasing large quantities of Fairtrade cocoa from cooperatives in Ghana. Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand Executive Director Steve Knapp was enthusiastic about the move. “This is a real milestone for Fairtrade and for cocoa growers in Ghana. Cadbury Dairy Milk milk... ...Read more »

Fairtrade Labelling Australia & New Zealand today confirmed premium organic chocolate maker Green & Black’s will be going Fairtrade Certified across the vast majority of its block chocolate and beverages range this year. The move continues on a steady push toward Fairtrade by confectioners over the past year, with the likes of Cadbury and Nestlé committing to Fairtrade cocoa for their Dairy Milk and Kit Kat brands, respectively. And, with cocoa production tainted over the past decade... ...Read more »

Nestlé has announced that their four-finger Kit Kat bar will be certified by Fairtrade in yet another sign that the Fairtrade movement is becoming mainstream. The company has so far committed to certifying the brand as Fairtrade in the United Kingdom and Ireland but, like Cadbury with their Dairy Milk brand, it may extend beyond British borders. The CHF 110m initiative (A$118m) brings together Nestlé’s activity to promote sustainable cocoa supply under one banner, the company said in a statement. “Nestlé... ...Read more »

Bakers Delight has been awarded the ‘Franchisor Social Responsibility Award’ at the Franchise Council of Australia MYOB Excellence in Franchising Awards, held last week at the 2009 FCA Gala Awards Dinner in Perth. Chris Caldwell, General Manager of Marketing & Operational Support at Bakers Delight, said the network is continually developing and implementing community, social and environmental initiatives. “Our commitment to local communities is pivotal to our connection with... ...Read more »

The Fairtrade movement has received another push today with the announcement of Cadbury’s plans to achieve Fairtrade certification on their Dairy Milk chocolate by Easter 2010. The UK confectioner, which launched Fairtrade Dairy Milk in Britain and Ireland earlier this year, advised that they would extend their commitment to Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Fairtrade Labelling Australia & New Zealand (FLANZ) Executive Director, Steve Knapp, said that the groundbreaking pledge to use... ...Read more »

The Food Business Forum, which brings together management from around 400 retailers and manufacturers operating in 150 countries, recently released a mid-year update to its annual Top of Mind report, discovering that corporate social responsibility (CSR) was steadily being pushed down the list of priorities. The global recession has removed it from the head of the list, as pricing, assortment and store formats become top-of-mind. Pre-eminent food industry body CIES, canvassed the top ten business... ...Read more »

Foster’s was rewarded as one of Australia’s leading businesses at the Corporate Responsibility Index (CRI) Awards – held last night at the 10th National Business Leaders Forum on Sustainable Development at Parliament House in Canberra.Senator Nick Sherry, Federal Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law, presented the awards, with no food or beverage company managing to claim one of the top three awards. The winners were EnergyAustralia (Best Performance), Sensis (Best New... ...Read more »

Tesco opened its first store of the future last week in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, a store they believe to be the UK’s most energy efficient. The store has been built using Tesco’s new low carbon blueprint which will provide a foundation for stores built in the UK going forward, and follows similar claims by other UK supermarkets last year that they had opened the region’s most energy efficient supermarket. Asda and Sainsbury’s, the region’s second and third largest... ...Read more »

Major Australian based food and beverage manufacturers have, for the first time, publicly made available company action plans which spell out in black and white how and when they will market a range of their products. Australian Food and Grocery Council CEO Kate Carnell said that the commitment is in-line with the Council’s recently announced Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative. “Companies participating in this initiative have publicly committed to advertise to children... ...Read more »

New research has discovered that German consumers, like an increasing number of consumers in countries like Australia and England, are demanding greater corporate responsibility from companies. Such conduct on the part of companies influences the purchase decisions of consumers. This is the conclusion reached by a survey carried out by GfK Panel Services in cooperation with GfK-Nürnberg e.V. and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. The survey looked at the attitudes of consumers towards issues such... ...Read more »