Composite products
Many Fairtrade products, such as coffee, tea, flowers, sugar, rice are
100% Fairtrade. However there are other products, such as cakes,
biscuits, ice cream or chocolate, where the ingredients are a mixture
of Fairtrade ingredients from developing countries (such as sugar,
cocoa, honey, vanilla) and ingredients sourced more locally from UK or
European farmers (such as milk, flour or eggs). These are known as
‘composite products’.
To take account of this, the Fairtrade Foundation has developed requirements for where and how the FAIRTRADE Mark may be used based on FLO policy.
The main principles of these requirements are:
- 100% of any ingredient that can be Fairtrade certified, must be Fairtrade certified.
- Any product may carry the FAIRTRADE Mark if more than 50% of
its total ingredients (calculated by dry weight) are sourced from
Fairtrade certified producer organisations.
- If the total Fairtrade certified ingredient content is less
than 50%, the product may still be eligible if it has one significant
Fairtrade ingredient that represents more than 20% of the product’s dry
weight. An example of a significant ingredient might be an orange juice
drink made of 20% Fairtrade certified orange juice and the rest water.
More information about product certification and these requirements can be found in the Fairtrade standards. Click
here. 
Why are composite Fairtrade products allowed?
The Fairtrade Foundation exists to secure better market and trading opportunities for disadvantaged farmers and workers, as well as to raise awareness and promote action amongst UK citizens and consumers. By allowing certification of composite products, the Foundation can maximise huge new opportunities for producers, deepen the positive impact that Fairtrade can have for them, as well as increase the range of products available to consumers, enabling people to integrate Fairtrade purchase into their regular shopping habits.
Should the rules for composite products change?
There is legitimate debate, however, about the level of the elibililty criteria for allowing the FAIRTRADE Mark on a product. Some argue that these thresholds should be higher, to protect the trust in the FAIRTRADE Mark. Others argue that the thresholds should be even lower, to enable more products to be eligible and more opportunities for producers. The composite policy is currently being reviewed by the Fairtrade Foundation and we anticipate that a wider consultation on the policy will be undertaken. This review will also consider whether the labelling policies for product packaging could also ensure greater clarity for shoppers choosing Fairtrade products.