The first Fairtrade citrus and apples to be supplied from South Africa under the Thandi Initiative will appear on retail shelves in the next two weeks.

One of the retailers to take the Thandi lines will be Tesco, with Fairtrade oranges the first in-store. The retailer's new product development team has developed a new pack design as the Valencia oranges become the latest own-brand addition to the expanding Tesco Fairtrade portfolio. The silver on black design will be a reverse of the Tesco Finest labelling, which will help differentiate the fruit on-shelf.

Tesco's Hamish Renton told the Journal: 'We are fully committed to Fairtrade and extending our own-label range of the fruit.' Capespan UK's marketing director Martin Dunnett said the concept was the culmination of years of work and that Capespan had worked hard with its growers to be part of the initiative. 'The Thandi brand has been around for four to five years,' said Dunnett, 'and the link with Fairtrade has been a natural progression.' Jean Davidson, Capespan Foundation chairperson, said that although only small volumes of fruit are available during the current apple and citrus season it was hoped that the programme would significantly grow in the future. 'We are delighted to be selling the first citrus and apples in the world from producers certified by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation and we sincerely appreciate their support in the development of this most exciting venture.' Renton added 'Because of the principles behind Fairtrade, it is not so important that this fruit is available to us year-round. The focus is on achieving a sustainable living for the producers and whether Tesco is involved for two weeks or 12, the scale and the volume we sell can make a real difference.'

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