New Zealand's Fairest Supermarket Awards Announced
New Zealand shoppers have voted Victoria Park New World as the best Fairtrade supermarket in the country. During Fair Trade Fortnight, hundreds of shoppers around the country have been taking part in Check Out Fairtrade – a campaign to encourage consumers to look out for Fairtrade Labelled products in their local supermarkets and to encourage supermarkets to stock a wider range of Fairtrade Labelled products.
Customers at this supermarket were impressed to find 21 Fairtrade Labelled products available. Runner-up goes to Fresh Choice Dunedin with 18 Fairtrade Labelled products.
"It's great to see supermarkets like New World Victoria Park and Fresh Choice Dunedin making such a commitment to Fairtrade," says Steve Knapp, director of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand (FTAANZ). "We need more supermarkets to follow their example in order to really grow the Fairtrade market here."
Almost 300 shoppers have taken part in the Check Out Fairtrade campaign. The winning supermarkets were judged both on the number of Fairtrade Labelled products available, as well as the number of shoppers who nominated them for the Best Fairtrade Supermarket Award.
Sales of Fairtrade Labelled products have grown significantly in New Zealand over the last four years – with sales of Fairtrade coffee alone increasing by 3400 percent from 2004-2007. Sales of Fairtrade coffee in New Zealand last year was $6.9 million.
However, the range of Fairtrade products available in most supermarkets here is limited to coffee, tea and chocolate. In contrast shoppers in Europe – in particular the UK – can choose from a huge range of Fairtrade products in their supermarket, including Fairtrade bananas, orange juice, roses, sugar, chocolate brownies, rice, muesli, marmalade, avocados, ground cinnamon and even peanut butter. Tesco supermarkets in the UK stock around 140 Fairtrade Labelled products lines – New Zealand supermarkets carry 21 Fairtrade Labelled products at the most.
"The Fairtrade Label guarantees a better deal for producers and farmers in the developing world," says World Vision CEO, Lisa Cescon. "So it's disappointing that the majority of New Zealand supermarkets stock so few Fairtrade products and that they tend to be so difficult to find."
FTAANZ, Oxfam, World Vision and other organisations are encouraging shoppers to do something about that through the ongoing Check Out Fairtrade campaign - handing in petition cards to their local supermarket, emailing the supermarket bosses and continuing to survey their local supermarkets.
"As consumers, we often underestimate our power to change international trade," says Barry Coates, Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand. "If all of us ask our supermarkets to stock more Fairtrade products, they'll have to listen."
This year's Fair Trade Fortnight has proven bigger than ever before with more than 700 activities running across the country over the two weeks. More than 10,000 people have been taking part in 370 Oxfam Biggest Coffee Break events, 250 CWS Fair Cuppa events, 30 Trade Aid stores taking part in the Junk to Green Funk competition, as well as World Vision Black Gold screenings, live music events, university seminars, coffee tasting events, Fair Trade stalls and football competitions.
"The participation of such a broad cross section of the community in this year's Fair Trade Fortnight has been amazing, I can't wait to see what Fair Trade Fortnight 09 has in store for us!" says Steve Knapp.
Further information:
Facts and figures
• Growth in Fairtrade sales in New Zealand 2004-2007 3275%
• Growth in Fairtrade sales in New Zealand 2006-2007 63%
• Total Fairtrade sales in New Zealand 2007 $7.74 million
• Sales of Fairtrade coffee in New Zealand 2007 $6.9 million
• There are more than 30 different brands of Fairtrade labelled coffee available in New Zealand
• Fairtrade labelled tea, chocolate, drinking chocolate, cocoa, sugar and cotton are also currently available in New Zealand
• Globally consumers now spend over $4 billion on Fairtrade products annually
• Fairtrade directly benefits over 7 million people – farmers, workers and their families in developing countries
Spokespeople are available from Oxfam, FTAANZ and World Vision.
For more information, visit www.checkoutfairtrade.org.nz, www.oxfam.org.nz or www.buyfairtrade.org.nz
The Fairtrade Label is an independent consumer guarantee that a product meets international Fairtrade standards.