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Cadbury to use Fairtrade cocoa

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Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:00a.m. UPDATED: 10:35AM

By Dan Satherley

Cadbury has announced this morning its Dairy Milk range will be switching to Fairtrade cocoa.

The chocolate giant, still reeling from its palm oil debacle, hopes to make the transition in time for Easter 2010.

"Cadbury’s commitment to Fairtrade is life-changing news for cocoa farmers who will be able to sell more of their cocoa as Fairtrade, helping to improve living standards and create a better future for their families and communities" Fairtrade executive director Steve Knapp said.

Products certified as 'Fairtrade' are sourced from environmentally sustainable operations which aim to give farmers and producers "a fair deal", according to Fairtrade Labelling Australia & New Zealand.

Cadbury is the first major chocolate manufacturer in New Zealand to go Fairtrade. The company says the move will triple the amount of Fairtrade product sold throughout New Zealand.

"Cadbury has a long tradition of being pioneers in sustainable chocolate production and sourcing Fairtrade certified cocoa is another example of this commitment," says Cadbury managing director Matthew Oldham.
 
International aid organisation Oxfam praised the move.
 
"For a major chocolate manufacturer like Cadbury to go Fairtrade is a real tribute to everyone who has been supporting the Fairtrade campaign globally," says Barry Coates, executive director of Oxfam NZ. "The more we ask for Fairtrade products, the more supermarkets, cafes and manufacturers will have to listen."

Cadbury was recently the target of scorn for using imported palm oil in its chocolate. The use of palm oil has been linked to the destruction of rainforests in Indonesia, threatening the survival of the orang-utan. Widespread backlash from the public all-but forced the company to revert to its old formula.

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Comments

09 Nov 2010 06:30p.m.

dark'n'bitter wrote:

and how about that stuff.co.nz website. it doesn't allow comments! Lets boycott those fascists!! and yeah Barb 'unable to feed their families' and they won't be able to over populate the earth! oh no! and banana fan: 'producers are getting a fair deal' yeah right! they still probably make less than you spend on haircuts. But ryan you make a good point... that sheldon makes a good point. haha. and sheldon! maybe those kids will have return to where they came from. the place they chose to leave... because they were starving... but hey maybe you could send them a chocolate bar from time to time... well if they weren't so god damn expensive! And suse... I demand that YOU shut up! hahahaha Everyone wants the same thing alright: to push their ideas onto others. have a think about that one. guilt free my ass! but fairs fair... well when I say it is all's fair in love and capitalism... and I bow down to you my sweet sweet god

27 Aug 2009 10:08a.m.

Barbara wrote:

I agree Banana fan, NZ made or not, all cocoa beans come from a developing world that doesn't have things like welfare or benefits that we often take for granted. If they don't sell their cocoa, or got paid market price then they can often are unable to feed their families. And good on those guys who gave Cadbury in Dunedin flowers this morning!! Awesome attitude and gratitude :)

27 Aug 2009 09:47a.m.

Banana Fan wrote:

Good for Cadbury - listening to their consumers for once! While this could be seen as a massive attempt at greenwashing in light of the palm oil debacle, it is surely a step in the right direction. Buying Fairtrade certified products absolutely ensures that the producers are getting a fair deal and a good wage for their produce. I really hope other companies will now follow suit and work towards making more Fairtrade products (Whittakers!) and set a more ethical standard for the rest of the industry. In the end of the day, Fairtrade is a great way to empower producers in developing countries, and to support social and economic growth. Buying Fairtrade is a positive way to alleviate poverty by using the power of our consumer dollar here in New Zealand! Everyone wants the same thing - to make a living wage, have healthy, happy children, and to eat lots of guilt free chocolate!

26 Aug 2009 02:48p.m.

Ryan wrote:

Sheldon Nesdale makes a good point, although I think Cadbury should have kept quiet until they made 100% of their products Fairtrade. At the moment it just looks like they are just using it as a Marketing Ploy

26 Aug 2009 01:53p.m.

Winifred wrote:

When Cadbury went to Australia and started using Palm Oil I converted to Whittakers. Now I prefer Whittakers chocolates as it is all New Zealand made.

26 Aug 2009 01:10p.m.

Sheldon Nesdale wrote:

Easter 2010? So for 9 more months we get to enjoy the taste of child labour sweat in every block? They should have kept quiet about this until the day they switched over.

26 Aug 2009 12:54p.m.

Jo wrote:

Yeah, like Fred I was not impressed with Cadbury when they changed the block size, raised the price , used less cocoa powder and moved to Oz, not to mention the palm oil debacle. For all those reasons, I have switched to Whitakers but would change back if all those things were put right. And I know others who would do the same...

26 Aug 2009 12:49p.m.

andrew wrote:

This will raise the whole profile of Fairtrade. The Scarborough Fair company has been doing a great job on this for some time with all their products. Well done!
You do have to watch out for companies saying they are fairtrade but not having certification.

26 Aug 2009 12:35p.m.

Julia wrote:

This is huge and an awesome move for Fairtrade and the cocoa farmers. Cadbury's dairy milk will soon be available in UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand at dairies, supermarkets and petrol stations!

26 Aug 2009 12:18p.m.

Fairtrade Rachel wrote:

Well done Cadbury for going Fairtrade with their Dairy Milk bars. As a Fairtrade supporter I think it’s fantastic that next year I will be able to go into any dairy in New Zealand and be able to purchase Fairtrade Certified chocolate knowing that farmers in Ghana will be getting a better deal. The price won't be changing (it didn't in the UK when Cadbury went Fairtrade there) and Fairtrade isn't an expensive luxury, Scarborough Fair are 100% Fairtrade, available in supermarkets at regular prices.