Fairtrade Standard Revisions Aim to Increase Sales, Trader Participation

Fairtrade America has unveiled revisions to the Fairtrade Standard for fresh produce, which is designed to expand the window for getting ripe produce to store shelves, make it easier for traders to participate and for producers to increase sales on Fairtrade terms.

Sales of fair-trade produce grew an estimated 51% from 2016-2017, according to Fairtrade America. A recent study by GlobeScan revealed that not only is consumer demand for fair-trade produce growing, but the majority of consumers (64%) are also willing to pay up to 10 cents more per pound for fair-trade certified bananas.

Yet the challenge to ensure that fresh produce is at peak ripeness by the time it arrives on store shelves while also upholding Fairtrade Standards remains at the forefront.

“Fairtrade is about finding the right balance between rigorous standards and accessibility to markets,” said Derek Mulhern, business development manager for Fairtrade America, in a statement. “These new changes can help make markets more accessible while ensuring impact for farmers and workers.”

In an effort to increase transparency and ensure producers are complying with agricultural best practices and food safety requirements, Fairtrade now requires that all fruits—not just bananas, as previously required—indicate packing station, date of packing and identification of small-producer organizations when applicable.

Fairtrade has also revised retro-certification, where now traders can retro-certify fresh produce after a conventional purchase from a certified producer organization. All volumes are required to be reported, especially to producers, and payment of Fairtrade Premiums and any required price adjustments must be made.

Additional changes to Fairtrade Standards include:

The Fairtrade Standards are also designed to provide rules on payment terms, flexibility for shortfalls on sales, quality claims and clarification of the different roles throughout the supply chain, offering improved transparency and ensuring mutually beneficial trade terms.

In conjunction with producer organizations, traders, brands and stakeholders worldwide, Fairtrade International routinely reviews and updates standards and pricing policies through in-depth consultations and workshops, whereby changes are then approved by the Fairtrade Standards Committee, which includes representatives from traders, farmers, workers and independent experts.

Fairtrade is the only ethical certification with equal representation for farmers and workers in the general assembly, board and standards committee.

Fairtrade-certified fruits include pineapple, mangos, pomegranate, physalis, passion fruit, cucumbers, green beans, peas, apples pears and berries—as well as bananas and avocados, which are the most popular fair-trade produce.