UK Maltesers go Fairtrade

Maltesers, the third biggest chocolate brand in Britain, is to become Fairtrade, in a move which will boost sales of the ethical brand by 10%.

This is the first time that Mars, the Maltesers manufacturer, has shifted production of one of its products to Fairtrade. If follows similar moves by rivals, including Nestle, whose KitKat is now Fairtrade and Kraft, which shifted some of its Cadbury Dairy Milk products into Fairtrade. Starbucks and McDonald's have also stocked an increasing number ethically-sourced products in their outlets, a trend which has not always been cheered by cynical consumers.

Fiona Dawson, the managing director of Mars Chocolate in the UK, insisted the company wasn't "greenwashing". She said: "Consumers have been saying for many years that they want and expect big brands to do the right thing. They care deeply about where their food comes from."

Mars has already declared that it intends to buy 100pc of its cocoa from sustainable sources by 2020. As of 2009, certified cocoa – such as Rainforest Alliance, organic or Fairtrade – represented just over 1pc of total purchases.

Maltesers is the third biggest chocolate brand in Britain, behind Cadbury Dairy Milk and Galaxy. It had sales of £140m in the last 12 months.

Many ethical lines of food and drink have suffered in the recession, with organic sales going into reverse. However, sales of Fairtrade products increased by 40pc in 2010 to an estimated retail value of £1.17bn compared with £836m in 2009, suggesting British consumers have embraced the the label, which promises to pay farmers a premium on top of the market rate for their prouducts.

The premium that Mars will pay farmers, on top of the price they currently pay, will be about £900,000 a year. Most of them are based in the Ivory Coast. The sugar used in the sweets will also be Fairtrade. The first packs of Fairtrade Maltesers will hit shop shelves in spring, next year.

Michael Nkonu, director of Fairtrade Africa, which represents farmers and producers across Africa, said: “We’ve been working hard to support and strengthen our networks of Fairtrade certified cocoa farmers in West Africa. Many farmers in the Ivory Coast region are still struggling to re-establish their lives and build up their farms following the recent troubles. This agreement couldn’t be more timely, and will help enable a better future for farmers.”


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Source and Photo: Telegraph UK