OAKLAND, Calif.—The Fair Trade sector is seeing growth in both sales and the number of new products brought to market, according to Fair Trade USA. The nonprofit organization also announced a new ingredients policy.
The nonprofit organization said new SPINS data shows sales of Fair Trade Certified products at mainstream grocery stores grew by 87 percent in the second quarter over the previous quarter. The specialty and gourmet channels grew 32 percent, for an overall growth rate of 63 percent.
“In Fair Trade, sales correlate directly to impact in farming communities, so we’re thrilled to see growth across all channels," said Cate Baril, Director of Business Development, Grocery and Ingredients for Fair Trade USA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. “As mainstream brands with broad distribution—like Ben and Jerry’s, Honest Tea and Larabar—continue to convert their ingredients to Fair Trade and satisfy the growing demand for sustainably produced goods, we’ll continue to see sales grow."
Fair Trade USA also announced that there are now 10,000 Fair Trade Certified products on U.S. stores shelves through its more than 800 industry partners.
Rounding out the newsy day, Fair Trade USA announced a new U.S. policy for “Multiple Ingredients Products" or “ingredients policy." The policy will maximize impact for producers by: encouraging more companies to convert more ingredients to Fair Trade Certified supply sources; and promoting transparency to ensure that consumers know what they are buying.
The new ingredients policy applies to all food and personal care products. It requires a minimum of 25 percent Fair Trade Certified content for a product to use the “Fair Trade Certified" label on the front of the package; requires between 10 and 24 percent Fair Trade Certified content for a product to use the “Fair Trade Certified Ingredients" label on the front of the package; and for products with less than 10 percent, allows a back-panel ingredients note—such as “Fair Trade Certified Sugar." The percentage of ingredients is measured by dry weight.
“It’s critical that consumers see the Fair Trade Certified label as a symbol of social and environmental integrity," said Mary Jo Cook, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Fair Trade USA. “Therefore, we have established the new policy to promote consumer confidence through greater label disclosure and enhanced online resources."
