Whittaker's creamiest block to be Fairtrade Certified

Fairtrade Labelling of Australia and New Zealand is pleased to announce that Whittaker’s Creamy Milk block is now Fairtrade Certified and will soon be in a store near you. Kiwis across New Zealand will soon be able to enjoy Whittaker’s best selling block knowing that their purchase is helping Ghanaian cocoa farmers secure a better livelihood.


This move by Whittaker’s means Fairtrade farmers from the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative will be able to sell more cocoa beans as Fairtrade. As well as the Fairtrade price, Kuapa Kokoo will also receive the Fairtrade Premium, currently an additional US$150 per metric tonne. This will be invested back into the community in social, environmental or economic projects.


Steve Knapp, Executive Director of Fairtrade Labelling ANZ has welcomed the move by New Zealand owned Whittaker’s; “I am glad to see Creamy Milk become Fairtrade Certified, giving more Kiwi shoppers greater opportunity to improve the lives of some of the most disadvantaged farmers.”


Whittaker’s move to make their number one chocolate block, Creamy Milk, Fairtrade Certified once again shows the power of consumer pressure and further proves that New Zealand consumers are increasingly looking for and choosing Fairtrade Certified products.


Marketing Manager Philip Poole says, “We are happy to be a part of the fair trade movement and to be supporting Fairtrade cocoa farmers from Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana and Fairtrade sugar farmers from the Costa Rican cooperative, CoopeAgri.”


Creamy Milk will further mainstream the Fairtrade Label and is set to increase the amount of Fairtrade chocolate sales this year. In 2009, Fairtrade chocolate confectionary retail sales in New Zealand topped $1 million and saw over 50% growth for the third consecutive year.



ENDS


What is Fairtrade:

•Fairtrade Certification is a unique and independent system helping developing country farmers and producers get a better deal and the opportunity to create a brighter future for their families and communities.

•Today, more than five million people – farmers, producers, workers and their families – across 58 developing countries benefit from the Fairtrade system.

•Fairtrade is the only third party certification system providing farmers and producers in developing countries with a designated fair price (the Fairtrade Price) for their produce, helping protect them from damaging fluctuations in world market prices.

•Fairtrade is also the only system which provides these farmers and producers with an additional sum of money (the Fairtrade Premium) for investment in social, economic and environmental development - helping them grow their businesses and invest in their communities by building roads, schools and hospitals.

•A product is Fairtrade Certified™ if it carries the Fairtrade Label – an easy way for consumers to recognise and choose products that have met internationally agreed Fairtrade Standards.

•Retail sales of Fairtrade Certified™ and Labelled products in Australia and New Zealand grew by over 50% in 2009 to just over $NZ88 million, and in the last six years, since the first Fairtrade products went on sale in both countries, cumulative retail sales figures have surpassed NZ$150 million.

Why is fair trade important?
Poverty is widespread amongst tea, coffee and cocoa growers around the world, who face an uncertain future due to unstable world prices. In recent years, volatile prices worldwide have left many disadvantaged producers struggling to support themselves and their families.