---Extract begins
Stop the Traffik say the good news is only partial, as this will only apply to their ‘four finger’ product.
‘Two finger’ Kit Kats and all of their other chocolate products “will continue to exploit the chocolate slaves of the Ivory Coast from where Nestlé source most of their cocoa” they said in a statement.
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If Nestle were really committed to improving their impact on the world and peoples lives they could just bring up ethical standards accross the board - Every year there are still violations of the code on the marketing of babymilk - this is no minor detail, 1.5 million babies die every year from unsafe bottlefeeding.
Join me in Boycotting Kit Kats and other Nestle products ....
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Big break for Fairtrade as Kit Kat receives certification
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Rebecca Smithers
The Guardian, Monday 7 December 2009
Article history
How the Fairtrade Kit Kats will look. Photograph: Chris North/PA
The UK's best-selling chocolate biscuit bar, Kit Kat, is to receive ethical certification through the Fairtrade quality mark, it will be announced today.
After lengthy talks between the UK arm of the Swiss food giant Nestlé and the Fairtrade Foundation, the familiar blue and green logo will appear on the wrappers of Kit Kats in the UK and Ireland from January. Initially the certification will only apply to the larger four-finger Kit Kats but it will be extended to the smaller bars.
The move represents a major coup for Fairtrade, which earlier this year certified Cadbury's Dairy Milk, and means chocolate is now a mainstream Fairtrade product alongside bananas, tea and coffee.
It follows the October launch of Nestlé's global Cocoa Plan, a £65m investment programme over the next 10 years to tackle the key economic, social and environmental issues facing cocoa farming communities. Farmers living and working in Ivory Coast, the world's largest cocoa producing country, will be the main beneficiaries.
As well as the Fairtrade price (or market price if higher) for the cocoa, farmers' groups receive extra Fairtrade premium payments to invest in long-term community and business projects of their own choice, such as education and healthcare. The sugar in the product will also be Fairtrade certified, sourced from Belize.
Kit Kat, made in York, is the UK's favourite chocolate biscuit bar, with 1bn sold here each year. Launched in 1935 and originally called Chocolate Crisp, it has grown to become Nestlé's biggest confectionery brand in the UK, making up approximately 23% of its UK sales. The UK is the biggest market for Kit Kat globally, twice as big as the next highest, Japan.
David Rennie, managing director, Nestlé Confectionery, said: "Nestlé sells more Kit Kats in the UK than anywhere else in the world and I am delighted that following the launch of the global Cocoa Plan, Kit Kat – our leading confectionery brand – will now be Fairtrade certified in the UK and Ireland.
"UK consumers are increasingly interested in how we source and manufacture their favourite products and certifying our largest and most iconic brand is one of the ways in which we are committing to improving the lives of as many cocoa farming families as possible."
Harriet Lamb, executive director of the Fairtrade Foundation, said the move represented a "breakthrough" for cocoa farmers: "Mainstream brands such as Kit Kat bring the critical mass that is needed to tip the balance of trade in favour of disadvantaged cocoa farmers."
The trade and development minister, Gareth Thomas, said: "I am glad to see Kit Kat become Fairtrade certified, giving more British shoppers the chance to improve the lives of some of the world's poorest people. This will give thousands of Ivorian cocoa farmers better opportunities to trade their way out of poverty."
Last night campaign group Baby Milk Action, which has led a boycott of Nestlé, said it would keep Kit Kats on its list of products to avoid. Campaigns coordinator Mike Brady said: "We recommend that anyone who is concerned about promoting real change for people in developing countries support the boycott and buy products from companies with positive business values, not just token initiatives."
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