Update On collaboration With The Soil Association

1. The Fairtrade Foundation is collaborating with the Soil Association with the aim of increasing the number of products from the developing world that are both organic and Fairtrade certified.

All the indications are that Third World producers could reap considerable benefits from the Fairtrade Foundation and the Soil Association working together to ensure the more rapid certification of new products from developing countries which carry both Marks.

2. Both organisations are also undertaking a feasibility/ pilot study on how to apply the principles and philosophy of Fairtrade to the UK. In this study, we place particular emphasis on the attitudes of consumers. To date, we have had a wide range of responses from the public and from parliamentarians. Many welcome the principles of addressing the needs of UK farmers and the proposed alliance between two major certifying bodies.

However, most people and parliamentarians contacting the Fairtrade Foundation about this study have made clear that they associate 'Fairtrade' very strongly with tackling poverty in the Third World - as distinct from the problems of farmers in the UK. These views are being taken into account during the feasibility/pilot study.

The Fairtrade Foundation and the Soil Association are considering whether we need to develop different criteria for fairly-traded goods for the UK, and across Europe, which would then need to be differentiated on products too, with a different title ie: not Fairtrade.

Currently there are over 100 Fairtrade products in the UK in the categories of coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, snacks and biscuits, sugar, honey, fruit juice and fresh fruit.

Companies with products that currently carry the Soil Association and FAIRTRADE marks include:

Green & Black's (chocolate and cocoa); Equal Exchange (coffee, honey, tea and cocoa); Cafedirect (coffee and tea); Fyffes (bananas); Agrofair (bananas and mangoes); Percol (coffee) and Traidcraft (sugar).

For more information telephone the Fairtrade Foundation on 020 7440 7686 or mobile 07770 957 451.

Soil Association press office Tel: 0117 914 2448