Fairtrade bean sprouts

The first bean sprouts with the FAIRTRADE Mark, grown from Fairtrade certified mung beans from China are now available on UK supermarket shelves.

For the first time, a group of growers in Inner Mongolia have been given Fairtraded certification, which means they will receive a fair price for their mung beans, as well as a Fairtrade premium.

The Fairtrade premium will allow the village to improve education facilities and the condition of local schools, as well as providing materials and equipment. It will also support local families by funding items for their houses such as heaters and warm clothes for winter. The mung beans are the first product to be certified in the UK under the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations (FLO) standard for pulses, launched eighteen months ago.

Once the mung beans are harvested by growers, they are hand-sorted and transported by sea to the UK. The beansprouts, which have a limited shelf life, are grown in the UK to avoid the use of air freight. They are now available in The Co-Operative, under the Co-operative's own label.