Cadbury drops Fairtrade

Cadbury Fairtrade Fudge

Cadbury have announced that they are dropping the Fairtrade standard and from May 2017 none of their chocolate will be Fairtrade.

Instead, Cadbury will promote their own scheme and their bars will carry the ‘Cocoa Life’ logo. Despite the bars not containing any Fairtrade chocolate,  Cadbury wants the Fairtrade logo on the back because the Fairtrade Foundation will initially be monitoring the new scheme.

This is the first time the Fairtrade logo will appear on a bar of chocolate which is not Fairtrade. As such it runs counter to the messages adopted by schools and Church campaigners over the past three decades.

The Fairtrade logo indicates to the consumer that the growers have received guaranteed prices and additional Fairtrade premiums. 64% of the population believe it is more ethical than non-Fairtrade Chocolate.*

David Marshall CEO of the Meaningful Chocolate Company said “As a company which trades in only Fairtrade chocolate, we are shocked by this move.  It feels like a classic Cadbury's fudge because they have managed to get the Fairtrade logo on bars of Chocolate which are not Fairtrade. The Fairtrade movement grew out of pressure by churches, church schools and other consumers who wanted to see justice for growers and accountability for manufacturers. The big firms resisted this pressure for decades but have gradually started to come over.  This action will confuse the consumer and many now believe this puts the Fairtrade scheme at risk.”

“We hop e trading standards will take a view on this to stop the confusion. In the meantime we would encourage people to sign our petition below. “

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*Yougov survey March 2016