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 3000 certified fairtrade products available in the UK including fruit, cotton, tea, sugar, chocolate, roses and even alcohol.
The UK has the most Fairtrade products and highest awareness of Fairtrade of any country in the world but there are a total of 23 countries covered by Fairtrade Labelling Initiatives. Today most supermarkets stock fairtrade products with the Co-op having led the way back in 1994 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 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.
Source: www.fairtrade.org.uk, www.co-operative.coop/food/ and www.fairtrade.net 2011
