For Christmas Fare That's Really Fair Choose Fairtrade

For a Christmas which invokes the true spirit of the season, make this festive season a Fairtrade one.

Never before have beautiful, quality Fairtrade certified seasonal gifts been as readily available as they are this year. They can be bought on the high street, through all the national supermarket chains, independent shops and online. The growing range of Fairtrade cotton garments has meant many new gift ideas for this year and a Fairtrade football should help kick start the New Year in a positive way. Fairtrade food, drinks, flowers and confectionery can all help to make this a time to remember – in our homes and in homes on the other side of the world.

Choose from more than 2,000 products bearing the FAIRTRADE Mark now available country-wide and you can spend your Christmas cash safe in the knowledge that your purchases are guaranteed to make a real difference to the lives of marginalised farmers and their families in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation says: “There’s a fantastic range of Fairtrade goods to make your Christmas fare as fair as it can be. Sales of goods which carry the FAIRTRADE Mark always rise over the Christmas period, but this year we’re expecting especially good results with great new festive options on offer.”
She adds: “Research shows many people see buying products with the FAIRTRADE Mark as one of the easiest things they can do to bring about positive change - and what better time than Christmas? By filling our shopping baskets with Fairtrade Christmas goodies, we can all support the efforts of farmers facing daily hardships to build brighter futures for their families and communities.”
And when you need a break from Christmas shopping, don’t forget there are more and more coffee shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants now serving Fairtrade hot drinks and snacks. Stop off at AMT Coffee at your local railway station, Café Revive at Marks & Spencer, Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Slug & Lettuce, Pret A Manger, Progresso or many of the other places where you can get a well-earned Fairtrade drink and snack.

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS

Something to wear
Whether it’s a gift or for yourself, beautiful garments made from Fairtrade certified cotton are now available in time for Christmas. To find out where to buy Fairtrade cotton products from the high street, independent shops, websites and catalogues please check the Fairtrade Foundation website www.fairtrade.org.uk.

People Tree - this season, look for skirts, tops and dresses in a spectrum of rich winter colours to mix and match.

M&S Underwear: Fairtrade vest £12.00 for a set of two plain strappy vests. Fairtrade high leg 2 pant pack £8.00. Check out the Fairtrade Marks & Spencer Ladies Raw Edge V-Neck Top, Price £10.00.

Monsoon: look for a range of men’s women’s and children’s t-shirts made from Fairtrade cotton. Price £12.00-£24.00.

Funky Ascension Jeans and t-shirts can be bought online or in Top Shop.

Calendars and coins
Chocoholics can try the Divine range of Fairtrade Advent calendars, chocolate coins and after dinner mints, available from the Day Chocolate Company, www.divinechoclate.com .
To round off Christmas dinner with a good pud, check out Village Bakery’s Fairtrade Organic Christmas cake and Christmas Pudding. Available on a seasonal basis in Oxfam shops and independent shops, or online from www.village-bakery.com.

Stocking fillers
If your loved ones enjoy the finer things in life, pamper them with delicious Fairtrade Belgian Chocolates. Available from Oxfam shops and www.traidcraftshop.co.uk, Alternatively look out for Co-op Truly Irresistible Fairtrade Luxury Hand-finished Chocolates available from Co-op stores nationwide.

Christmas Fare
The Co-op is also the place to be tempted by: the Co-op Fair Trade Yule Log £1.99,
Co-op Cranberry Sauce with Port & Fairtrade Sugar 200ml, £1.05 and
Co-op Fair Trade Choc Chip Shortbread 175g, £1.02
Also try Taylors of Harrogate Limited Edition Christmas Coffee 227g. Available at independent shops £2.79-£2.89
Marks & Spencer Fairtrade Christmas Blend coffee, 227g
Traidcraft Chocolate Beans in Calico Bag 100g, £3.50. see www.traidcraft.co.uk
Old Hamlet Wine & Spice Co Cider/Apple Juice Calico Bag, 4 sachets
Old Hamlet Wine & Spice Co Mulled Wine Calico Bag, 2 or 4 sachets
Old Hamlet Wine & Spice Co Whisky Today Calico Bag, 2 or 4 sachets

The healthy option - fruit and nuts
Look for Fairtrade fruit and nuts now available in most major supermarkets. What better way to wake up to Christmas Day than with a really good fresh fruit salad!

Another healthy option – buy someone a sports ball
For a fantastic sporty gift, buy a Fairtrade football, rugby ball, indoor volleyball, beach volleyball or basketball made in Pakistan available from Fair Deal Trading, www.fairdealtrading.com, Oxfam shops and some Blackwells stores.
Doing your own cooking…
Take a look at the cook book A Fair Feast, a collection of 70 celebrity recipes which will add a flavour of fame to Christmas. Nigella Lawson’s ‘chocolate and orange cake’ or Elton John’s ‘pineapple soufflé’ are an unusual and refreshing alternative to Christmas pudding. Try the recipes using Fairtrade ingredients. .Available from good bookshops, £9.99.
For a Christmas tipple
And raise a glass to 2007 with the Equality range by Las Lomas Casa Del Vino Mission (Red) Wine 75cl
Traidcraft Chilean Cabarnet Merlot 75cl, £67.70 per case or Chilean Chardonnay 75cl, £67.70 per case.

There are now over 100 varieties of Fairtrade wine on sale in the UK, and there’s a variety to suit every taste and occasion. Available from major supermarkets, independent stores and online.

For images of products or more information, please email eileen.maybin@fairtrade.org.uk or martine.julseth@fairtrade.org.uk or telephone Eileen or Martine on 020 7440 7686/020 7440 7695 or mobile 07770 957 451.

Notes to Editors

• For a full list of products bearing the FAIRTRADE Mark, see www.fairtrade.org.uk.
• The FAIRTRADE Mark was named winner of the Special Recognition prize in the ‘media and services’. category of the YouGov poll at the launch of brand ‘bible’ Superbrands 2005 in September.
• The FAIRTRADE Mark is the only independent consumer guarantee of a fair deal for farmers in developing countries.
  

Oxfam and Fairtrade at Christmas

The buying manager at Oxfam says she is expecting their biggest ever year for sales of products with the FAIRTRADE Mark over the coming Christmas. Oxfam think their overall sales (with Oxfam Christmas cards, fairly traded gifts, etc) will reach almost £12m of which products with the FAIRTRADE Mark will account for £2.6m. Oxfam lists 75 Fairtrade products in 456 of their shops throughout the UK all year round. For Christmas, they stock the full Divine chocolate range, Village Bakery Christmas cakes and puddings and Traidcraft Belgian Finest Selection chocolates.

For further information, contact the Fairtrade Foundation press office on 020 7440 7686/7695 or mobile 07770 957 451 or email martine.julseth@fairtrade.org.uk

The Fairtrade Foundation,
Room 204, 16 Baldwin’s Gardens,
London EC1N 7RJ.