Fairtrade was set up as a way to help ensure farmers are fairly paid for the work they put in to growing their crops in developing countries. This is partly to help build up fairer trade and better working conditions and opportunities in countries that struggled after their experiences as part of the British or other European empires.
The Fairtrade foundation was established in 1992 and is the main organisation promoting Fairtrade produce in the UK. The Co-op was the first supermarket to sell a Fairtrade product, coffee, in 1992. Since then a wide range of products have been sold with the Fairtrade mark –including bananas, chocolate, roses and cotton.
The products can be more expensive than non-Fairtrade alternatives, but the idea is that farmers can receive a higher price for their produce and a Fairtrade premium is received by farmers co-operatives to spend on things that would benefit their communities. There has been some criticism that due to fluctuating prices on global markets and the cost of certification that it does not always benefit the farmers, but the idea of paying a fairer price for goods and raw materials is an important step in helping to redress the balance between large and small economies.