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Asda to create fair trade mark for UK produce
Asda is talking to the Fair Trade association about UK suppliers
Asda is looking at creating a fair-trade mark for home-grown produce, according to a report in todays Guardian newspaper.
The paper says British farmers may soon be given a "fair trade" kitemark similar to the kind that guarantees stable prices, extra income and minimum employment and environmental standards for producers in the developing world.
According to The Guardian Asda has sought advice from the Fairtrade Foundation, which polices the scheme in Britain, to see whether it can adapt its principles for homegrown produce. However, it says, the Fairtrade Foundation will not want to sacrifice its trademark identity for helping those in developing countries, a determination it has previously shown in discussions on ethical trading with the Soil Association.
Asdas initiative coincides with a call yesterday by Sir Stuart Hampson, chairman of the John Lewis partnership, which owns Waitrose, for supermarkets to show that "Fairtrade applies to UK farmers as much as it does to developing countries".
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