British shoppers are becoming increasingly ethical when it comes to choosing what they eat, according to a survey of shoppers released this week - a shift in consumer attitudes which has proven particularly beneficial for Fairtrade products.
The latest edition of the Co-operative Banks Ethical Purchasing Index (EPI) shows that ethical food and drink sales in the UK reached £1.77 billion last year, with Fairtrade accounting for £59.5 million of this total.
Organic products, vegetarian or meat alternatives and free-range eggs make up the remainder of sales, the bank said. Fairtrade honey, chocolate and bananas have also performed well, with combined sales rising from £23.8 million in 2001 to £29.2 million in 2002, growth of 23 per cent, the EPI data showed. But while the ethical benefits of such a move are clear, this cannot be the sole reason for a shift to Fairtrade products, as David Croft, head of Co-op brand and technical, said after the companys recent switch to Fairtrade coffee.
"The important part of any Fairtrade business is that it has to perform in its own right - if it doesnt, then it is no longer trade but charity," he said. "The challenge is to bring Fairtrade coffee into the mainstream and out of the niche which it has occupied for many years."
The Presidency of the European Union will soon be in Irish hands and it is hoped that a decision on the location of the new European Food Standards agency will soon be made. However as part of the scientific programme of the impending Irish Presidency, a major international food conference is being organised for the 17 and 18 June in Dublin, Ireland.
Entitled "Thinking beyond tomorrow - a safe and nutritious food chain for the consumer", the conference will address issues such as new technologies and "restoring public confidence in the quality and safety of food".
EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection David Byrne, and DG research director general Achilleas Mitsos will be at the event, which aims to attract a full range of food industry stakeholders including scientists, policy makers, industrialists and consumer group representatives.
