Fairtrade products have been available in the UK for many years but they are becoming more popular and widespread as consumers realise the benefits to the producers as well as the fact that the products are often of a high quality. There are currently over 2000 certified fairtrade products available in the UK including fruit, cotton, tea, sugar, chocolate, roses and even alcohol.
The UK has the largest market for fairtrade products out of the 20 countries which make up Fairtrade Labelling Organisation International, and this continues to grow. Today most supermarkets stock fairtrade products with the Co-op having led the way back in 1992 when they became the first major retailer to sell Cafedirect fairtrade coffee. They still stock a wide selection of products including own label fairtrade items and you can find out more about this at their website www.co-opfairtrade.co.uk. The GMTV website has a list of products available at the different supermarkets although this has not been updated in some time.
The Fairtrade Foundation licenses the fairtrade mark in the UK and it is important to look out for this when buying fairtrade products. Some products claim to be fairtrade, but unless they have the official mark there is no guarantee that the produce has in reality been fairly traded. The Fairtrade Foundation monitors and assesses products which apply for the mark to ensure that they meet the necessary criteria.
