Fairtrade Fortnight begins with survey revealing its chocolate’s popularity
pic: Fairtrade
Fairtrade Fortnight begins today in the UK, with a major campaign centred on a theme that asserting that consumers have the power to help protect the future of essential products including bananas, cocoa and coffee, through their purchasing decisions, reports Neill Barston.
As the social justice movement noted, two new YouGov research studies commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation showed that chocolate was the second most popular product within its product range (54%) approving of its offerings.
It was narrowly beaten into first place by bananas (57%), with coffee taking third spot at (43%).
According to Fairtrade, its new campaign, entitled ‘Be the Change’, Fairtrade Fortnight will celebrate the impact created by millions of people across the UK for farmers and agricultural workers overseas by choosing Fairtrade chocolate, coffee, tea, bananas, flowers, and more – with around seven in 10 UK adults (69%) having said they bought a Fairtrade product during the last year.
Thanks to public support and company commitments, £1.7 billion in Fairtrade Premium payments have been generated globally between 1994 and 2022. In 2023, retail sales of Fairtrade products generated around £28 million in Fairtrade Premium payments for producers to invest in business, community and projects of their choice including healthcare, education and environmental initiatives.
As the organisation noted, thanks to these and other purchases, Fairtrade supports 10 million people around the world – farmers, workers and their families – who are building healthier, stronger, and more resilient communities, with improved choice and better life chances through access to healthcare and education.
Throughout Fairtrade Fortnight, billboards strategically placed outside supermarkets in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Manchester to catch shoppers’ eyes will riff off the research to highlight regional trends and congratulate shoppers for supporting farmers worldwide.
In Edinburgh for example, an amazing 9 in every 10 adults (89%) bought a Fairtrade product. Meanwhile the biggest Fairtrade chocolate fans could be found in Bristol, where 65% of adults have been enjoying Fairtrade chocolate.
Supermarkets and leading brands are putting on an exciting range of offers in stores, including the Co-op offering 10% discount on selected Fairtrade products for their members. Shoppers can also look out for some of their favourite brands joining in with the Fairtrade Fortnight celebrations, including the likes of Maltesers, Ben & Jerry’s, Green & Blacks, Clipper, Tony’s Chocolonely, Cafedirect and Guylian.
Marie Rumsby, the Fairtrade Foundation’s Director of Advocacy, commented: “This Fairtrade Fortnight is extra special as we celebrate 30 years supporting farmers and working for global trade justice. Every Fairtrade purchase makes a difference to farmers’ lives, and we want to remind shoppers that when they next visit a supermarket, they choose products with the Fairtrade logo, as these ensure farmers receive fairer prices for their hard work and can invest in their families and communities.”
“Fairtrade’s Minimum Price, Premium payments and Standards – and the fair prices they guarantee – mean farmers who produce our much-loved products like coffee, tea, bananas and chocolate can afford to put food on the table, send their children to school, cover their farm costs, and adapt to the changing climate.”
“Without the stability a fairer trade system provides – and as farmers tell us climate change is making it harder to grow crops – it is more important now than ever to show solidarity so future generations of farmers will be able to continue farming. But choosing to buy Fairtrade products helps build their resilience to these global challenges and helps keep our favourite products on our supermarket shelves.”
Continued backing
The research reveals that significant sections of the British public continue to back fair prices and fairer terms of trade for overseas farmers:
85% of UK adults think farmers in low-income countries should receive stable and fair pay for the products they grow.
People are buying Fairtrade for the right reasons: over half (54%) of UK adults understand that buying Fairtrade has a positive impact on the lives of farmers and workers.
For many years Fairtrade has highlighted how climate change is making fair prices even more urgent. Without the ability to invest in their farms, how can producers hope to mitigate the impact of global heating, and the risks to production and supply? Price matters, more than ever. The majority of the UK public share these concerns, with the latest poll revealing that 4 in every 5 adults in the UK (79%) are concerned about the potential effect of climate change on the price of food in the UK. Meanwhile a similarly high number – 69% – are concerned about the potential effect of climate change on the supply of food in the UK.
The UK public support this call, with 60% of UK adults saying politicians should be doing more to ensure farmers and other agricultural workers in low-income countries are paid fairly.