Fairtrade gains in popularity: sales up 6%

The choice of Fairtrade products is increasing among consumers, with a 6% increase in sales in the Dutch market by 2022. The increase was as high as 8% for Fairtrade food products. This growth has led to a higher Fairtrade premium for farmers and workers in Africa, Latin America and Asia, where the premium in 2022 was as much as 16% higher than the previous year.

The growth was mainly due to increased sales of cocoa and bananas. Although coffee sales declined slightly in 2022, both in retail and out-of-home locations, there is still a wide range of Fairtrade certified products available. Retailers such as Supermarket PLUS are contributing to this trend with their extensive range of 400 Fairtrade private label products. Lidl introduced Fairtrade Way to Go cashews & coffee, Verkade switched to chocolate bars with 100% Fairtrade cocoa, and even Action offers 100% Fairtrade cocoa in their own brand of chocolate. The growth of Fairtrade products is also visible in the hospitality industry with the Bradley's range of Axxent Masters in Tea and in the cultural sector with the sale of Café Intención coffee.

Rising prices of daily necessities due to inflation particularly impact farmers in Africa, Latin America and Asia, where poverty is already a challenge. Fairtrade offers a solution with minimum prices that give farmers security and a premium used for sustainable production. Fairtrade Netherlands' premium contribution in 2022 was a whopping €9.2 million, an increase of over 16% from the previous year and the highest premium contribution ever.

Fairtradenederland.nl