Fair trade sales rise 12 per cent despite 'difficult year'
The Fairtrade Foundation said sales of fair trade products rose 12 per cent last year but, at £800mn, still remain a fraction of the overall amount of money spent by consumers in the UK. The grocery market alone has annual sales of £150bn. Harriet Lamb, chief executive of the Fairtrade Foundation, said: "2009 was a tough year for everyone but a desperate year for many poor communities and small farmers in developing countries." Today the foundation is launching Fairtrade Fortnight and in the Big Swap wants consumers to switch everyday shopping basket items for fair trade items. The Times focuses on Sainsbury's, the world's biggest retailer of fair trade goods, and its relationship with fair trade producers.
