Fairtrade sales soar

Sales of Fairtrade products in the UK soared to £493m (€653m) last year – up 81% on 2006, figures out today show.

Bananas are the most popular Fairtrade product with sales rising 130% year-on-year to £150m (€198m) in 2007, according to the Fairtrade Foundation.

Fairtrade coffee sales rose 24% to more than £117m (€155m) while Fairtrade cotton soared by 660% to just under £35m (€46m).

Harriet Lamb, executive director of the Fairtrade Foundation, said: “The fantastic increase in sales show the UK’s public’s huge and growing appetite for Fairtrade.

“After years of chipping away, Fairtrade is finally beginning to make some significant impression on the way we trade.”

The figures were released today to coincide with the Fairtrade Fortnight public awareness campaign.

Fairtrade labelling was created in the Netherlands in the late 1980s.

To be Fairtrade accredited, producers must be paid a minimum price to cover the cost of sustainable production plus an extra premium to be invested in community development projects.

The Fairtrade Foundation is the UK based independent certification body that awards the Fairtrade Mark to products which meet the international Fairtrade standards set by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International.