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WATCH OUT FOR THIS LABEL

Residents and local business asked to adopt the Fairtrade mark.

· Fairtrade represents over 4.5 million producers and their families involving 350 groups in 36 countries. Fairtrade foods are sold in 17 countries across Europe, North America and Japan.

· UK Fairtrade sales increased 40% in 2001 to reach £46 million.

· In 2001, Fairtrade roast and ground coffee sales increased to almost 14% of the total UK market by value.

· Fairtrade foods that carry the FAIRTRADE Mark are coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, sugar, honey, biscuits, fresh fruit and juices.

· The FAIRTRADE Mark can be found on foods in all but one of the major supermarkets as well as many independent shops. Sainsbury's, Co-op and Morrisons offer own brand food guaranteed by the FAIRTRADE Mark label. Look out for them when you do your shopping.

· Fairtrade coffee is available at high street coffee shops including Costa Coffee and Starbucks.

· Consumer demand for Fairtrade foods has helped make trade a major concern of British politicians.


Fairtrade Foundation Web site		  

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The Fairtrade Foundation had a stall on Saturday at the Community Spirit event, at the King's Mall Shopping Centre. They were promoting the new international Fairtade mark and asking residents and local business to adopt products with their label.

The Fairtrade Foundation exists to ensure a better deal for marginalised and disadvantaged third world producers. Set up by CAFOD, Christian Aid, New Consumer, Oxfam, Traidcraft and the World Development Movement, the Foundation awards a consumer label, the Fairtrade Mark, to products which meet internationally recognised standards of fair trade.

Currently, more than 100 coffee, tea, banana, chocolate, cocoa, juice, sugar and honey products carry the Fairtrade mark. Fairtrade coffee, tea and hot chocolate is also offered by more than 20 national catering suppliers. The commodities currently covered are: coffee, tea, cocoa, honey, bananas, mangoes, orange juice, sugar.

Sales of Fairtrade foods have more than doubled over the past three years and Fairtrade brands now account for 14% of the total UK roast and ground coffee market. The British drink 1.7 million cups of Fairtrade tea, coffee and cocoa each day and eat 1.5 million Fairtrade bananas a week.
But the mark is now changing. The new international certification mark is being introduced in the UK in Autumn 2002. Gradually it will replace the original 'F' Mark and both Marks will run concurrently until the end of 2003.
The new label is international and represents the global vision of the Fairtrade system. Until now there have been seven different marks used across the 17 countries that make up FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International). The launch of the new Fairtrade Mark means that now there is just one label.