THE niche badge of ethically produced chocolate will today become a staple of supermarket shelves as one of the nation's most popular chocolate bars becomes a Fairtrade product.
Tens of thousands of Dairy Milk bars featuring the new certification will begin to appear on supermarket and newsagents' shelves in the next few days, after Cadbury became the first mass-market chocolate maker to sign up to the scheme.
With the D
airy Milk brand alone worth about £200 million a year in sales, its rebirth is expected to boost annual Fairtrade revenues in Britain by about 25 per cent, in what has been described as a "tipping point" agreement.
The move represents a significant step in the sustainable trade and development movement, effectively tripling the amount of cocoa sold under Fairtrade terms in Ghana from about 5,000 to 15,000 tonnes a year. Trevor Bond, managing director of Cadbury Britain and Ireland, said: "This creates a tipping point for Fairtrade with Fairtrade Cadbury Dairy Milk bars available to all, with the same great taste and at no extra cost."
Fairtrade Foundation executive director Harriet Lamb said: "This is a real milestone for Fairtrade and for cocoa growers in Ghana. Cadbury Dairy Milk will create a step change in awareness of Fairtrade here in the UK, while in Ghana it could potentially transform the lives and opportunities for thousands of people in cocoa-growing communities."
Barbara Crowther, director of policy and communications at the foundation, said the move was well-timed, despite the economic downturn.
She said: "I think this is going to send out a signal right across the Fairtrade world – not just for the growers, but for other companies. In the current economic climate, even though people are feeling pinched a little bit more, their values when they go shopping are still really important to them – especially when it comes to treating people well, and especially when it comes to expectations on companies to behave responsibly. So, in some ways this is a very good time for Cadbury to be doing this."
Ms Crowther said the company was to be praised for deciding to change its brand, despite decades of success.
She added: "You wouldn't play with your top-selling chocolate bar. The fact that they have led the way with their best-selling product shows the depth of the commitment that they have made."
