Cadbury Dairy Milk goes Fairtrade

Cadbury and the Fairtrade Foundation have announced plans to achieve Fairtrade certification for Cadbury Dairy Milk by end of this Summer.

This move will result in the tripling of sales of cocoa under Fairtrade terms for cocoa farmers in Ghana, both increasing Fairtrade cocoa sales for existing certified farming groups, as well as opening up new opportunities for  thousands more farmers to benefit from the Fairtrade system.

The company has committed to the certification of Cadbury Dairy Milk for the whole of the British and Irish markets.  The move will mean that the millions of Cadbury Dairy Milk consumers will be able to enjoy Fairtrade ingredients in their favourite chocolate bar, while the taste stays the same.

Ghanaian cocoa is recognised as the highest quality cocoa on the market, and the cocoa beans used in Cadbury chocolate across the UK and Ireland – including Cadbury Dairy Milk – are sourced from Ghanaian farmers.

Cadbury will also be sourcing cocoa from Kuapa Kokoo, one of the first groups to be Fairtrade certified, with over 40,000 registered cocoa farmers across Ghana. Although they are currently only selling 3% of their cocoa as Fairtrade, they have been able to implement community projects like building primary school classrooms, constructing wells, and investing in corn mills.

Now Kuapa Kokoo will have the opportunity to sell cocoa to Cadbury on Fairtrade terms, which will increase their Fairtrade premiums, and therefore the range of farmer support and community development programmes they can implement.

Cadbury chief executive, Todd Stitzer, commented on the new plans: "This is an historic moment for our company. I am proud that the nation's favourite chocolate bar will display the FAIRTRADE Mark.  I was in Ghana last month and saw how vital it is that businesses support their partners and the communities they live in. We believe that by joining forces with the Fairtrade Foundation, we can further improve living standards and conditions for farmers and farming communities."

"This Fairtrade initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to cocoa farmers in Ghana where we originally established cocoa farms 100 years ago and last year launched the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership - after all, what's good for the farmers is good for our customers and our business."

Harriet Lamb, chief executive of the Fairtrade Foundation, continued: "Cadbury's commitment is breakthrough news for the farmers in Ghana who are very excited that they will be able to sell more of their cocoa as Fairtrade, bringing greater benefits to their communities."

"We're delighted to have the opportunity to certify Cadbury Dairy Milk, enabling all those who buy it to make a real difference for cocoa farmers with every purchase. This certainly sets a new standard for the mainstream chocolate industry." 

The move, which also includes Cadbury's hot chocolate beverage, marks the first anniversary of the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership (CCP).

Words: Maria Bracken

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