What’s happened?
The sales of Fairtrade products have risen for the first time since 2013, the increasing popularity of bananas and coffee with the label outweigh the fall in cocoa and sugar.
Revenues from produce overseen by the Fairtrade Foundation body, rose by two per cent to £1.64bn in the UK last year.
Michael Gidney, chief executive of Fairtrade, said: “We are in growth despite tough economic times and while the grocery market continues to be in disarray,”
“There is a sense of businesses committing to Fairtrade backed by unstinting support from the public.”
The sales of bananas in the UK rose by six per cent due to sales at Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. Tesco which is the UK’s biggest retailer began selling Fairtrade bananas for the first time.
Coffee sales increased by eight per cent, Starbucks launched Fairtrade coffee through its Seattle Best Coffee label which delivers coffee to businesses and offices. Lidl also began selling Fairtrade tea and coffee last year after it delisted it for about a year.
Tea and cocoa sales fell by three per cent. It is hoped that these sales will rise this year as the Co-op becomes the first UK retailer to use only Fairtrade cocoa in all its own branded chocolate products.
Brad Hill, Fairtrade strategy manager at the Co-op, said: “When we consider that demand for cocoa is set to rise by 30 per cent over the next three years alone, it is imperative that we keep moving forward with sustainability initiatives in order to shape this industry.”
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