Sales topping the £200 million mark in UK, the biggest market for fairtrade goods in the world
Sales of fairtrade goods increased by more than a third last year, with sales totalling£1.1 billion worldwide, according to the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO).

The FLO estimates that UK sales topped£200 million last year, rising by 40 per cent. In terms of volume, Britain has the biggest market for fairtrade goods worldwide.

Labelled products have achieved a 5 per cent market share of tea, a 5.5 per cent share of bananas and a 20 per cent share of ground coffee.

Globally, 300 companies became involved in Fairtrade last year, bringing the total to 1,483. The number of certified producers has also grown significantly. Those supplying the UK has risen from 197 to 301 during the course of the year.

A number of UK retailers - including Waitrose, Somerfield and all of the big four supermarkets - have made high-profile commitments to putting more fairtrade products on their shelves. In March this year, Marks & Spencer switched its entire coffee range to fairtrade and is working towards extending this policy to tea.

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