Fair Trade USA, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the US, has announced significant growth and expansion of its Fair Trade certified fresh produce programme.
New data released by the group has showed strong growth across nearly every source country and fresh product coming into the country, resulting in more than 71.5m pounds of Fair Trade certified fresh fruit and vegetables imported in 2011 – a 40 per cent increase on 2010.
In addition to growth in banana imports, new products including watermelons, bell peppers, cantaloupes, tomatoes and more have been added to the Fair Trade Certified produce mix, the group said.
And 2012 is shaping up to be even bigger, Fair Trade USA revealed, with over 55m pounds of Fair Trade certified produce imported in the first half of the year, representing more than the full year of 2010.
Growth in the produce category enabled Fair Trade fresh produce farmers and farm workers to earn nearly US$1.8m in community development premiums in 2011, used for community-elected development projects that support education, healthcare, environment, business management, quality improvement and productivity.
'There’s a lot of momentum right now as retailers start to see positive sales data and ask more of their growers to get Fair Trade certified,' said Hannah Freeman, director of produce and floral for Fair Trade USA. 'They see Fair Trade as a way to invest in the sustainability of their supply chain while giving consumers the traceability they increasingly seek when purchasing fresh produce. It's like a farmers market gone global.'
Fair Trade USA has attributed the 'dramatic growth' in Fair Trade certified produce to not only increased demand from retailers and consumers, but also the certification of new produce varieties and farms.
In 2010, the only Fair Trade certified produce items available at supermarkets were bananas, citrus, mangos and pineapples, but between 2011 and 2012, Fair Trade USA made eight new products available to US consumers.
One of the most notable trends within the produce category in 2011 was continued growth in organic imports, which increased by approximately 63 per cent year-over-year, from over 26m pounds to over 42m pounds. Today, more than 60 per cent of all Fair Trade certified produce imported into the US is also certified organic.
