Friday September 23, 2011

Fair Trade Sales Up, New Certification Policy Set

Oakland, CA — Sales of Fair Trade Certified products increased 87 percent at grocery stores in the second quarter compared with the quarter prior, according to Spins LLC, a company that tracks natural product sales data.

Certified item sales increased 32 percent in specialty and gourmet channels, bringing the overall growth to 63 percent for all retail outlet categories.

In addition, Fair Trade USA, a certification organization, is implementing changes in U.S. certification policy for “Multiple Ingredients Products” or “ingredients policy” to encourage more companies to convert to certified ingredients.

The new policy will require a minimum of 25 percent certified content for products to display “Fair Trade Certified” on the front of packs, while products containing between 10 and 24 percent certified content will be labeled “Fair Trade Certified Ingredients.” Products containing less than 10 percent will be allowed to list ingredient notes such as “Fair Trade Certified sugar” on the back panel. Percentages are based on dry weight of ingredients, according to the organization.

Mary Jo Cook, vice-president of marketing and business development for Fair Trade, says: “We have established the new policy to promote consumer confidence through greater label disclosure and enhanced online resources.”