Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King confirmed at last week’s Fairtrade Foundation conference that, in line with what analysts have been saying for some time, ethically sourced products are still selling well, despite the recession - in Sainsbury’s stores, at least.

It seems the fear that shoppers would abandon their ethics in droves as the credit crunch started to bite was unfounded. Ethical shopping is now a way of life for many people in the UK, and they seem reluctant to give up their support of farmers in developing countries or demands for higher animal welfare standards - even if their weekly grocery budget has diminished.

King also pointed out that Fairtrade products are holding up remarkably better than organics in the current climate, which is also in line with the predictions of retail analysts. It seems strange to me that one kind of lifestyle shopping should prove pretty resilient during a downturn, while another should find itself suffering as a result of consumer belt-tightening.

Both the Fairtrade and organics categories have a loyal core of shoppers who have not abandoned their cause in the downturn. Maybe the decision made by some retailers to stock 100 per cent Fairtrade product on certain lines has attracted new consumers to the category, while organic produce has found it harder to garner new followers because of its price differential. Or perhaps it is just a case of something’s gotta give.