Tate & Lyle has announced it is to move its entire retail cane sugar range to Fairtrade, marking one of the largest switches to the ethical labelling system by a UK food or drink brand.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The move is expected to increase the amount of Fairtrade sugar sold in the UK, creating a return of at about GBP2m (US$3.9m) in Fairtrade premiums for cane farmers in the first year.
The first product to carry the Fairtrade mark will be Tate & Lyle granulated white cane sugar, sourced from Belize.
“Our commitment will help ensure a livelihood for farmers and the Fairtrade premium will be invested to improve their long-term prospects,” said Steven Hermiston from Tate & Lyle Sugars.
The switch over has been two years in planning, working alongside Belize Sugar Industries, and around 6,000 smallholder farmers, represented by the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association.
Fairtrade Foundation executive director Harriet Lamb said: “In terms of size and scale, this is the biggest ever Fairtrade switch by a UK company and it’s tremendous this iconic UK brand is backing Fairtrade. We’d now like to encourage other companies of the same size and scale as Tate & Lyle to think actively about making a similar commitment.”
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataTate & Lyle is hoping to have all their retail cane sugar range bearing the Fairtrade mark by the end of 2009.
