Post by Teddy Bear on May 16, 2007 20:14:09 GMT
In the first place, the BBC shouldn't be advertising anything, although eyebrows have previously been raised when particular products are carefully placed for the make to be visible in the endless sitcoms or programmes produced by the BBC.
However they make no attempt to disguise the 'Fairtrade' brand on their cooking website, even in the title of the dish, and to the point of exhorting chefs to make sure they use them. Here though is an article about Fairtrade, which shows it as just another money making rip-off scam under the guise of a 'charity', readily assisted by the BBC.
However they make no attempt to disguise the 'Fairtrade' brand on their cooking website, even in the title of the dish, and to the point of exhorting chefs to make sure they use them. Here though is an article about Fairtrade, which shows it as just another money making rip-off scam under the guise of a 'charity', readily assisted by the BBC.
Raking-in profits from Fairtrade
Helia Ebrahimi, Mail on Sunday
25 September 2006
An extra few pence does not seem much. And most of us are happy to dig a little deeper to ease our conscience when we see the Fairtrade label on food or clothing.
Our gesture, we believe, helps poor farmers in the developing world.
But Financial Mail, the sister newspaper of This is Money, has established that of the estimated £200m spent on certified Fairtrade products in this country, only about £42m gets back to those in the developing world.
The single biggest rake-off is enjoyed by British supermarkets, which take about 32p of every pound spent by consumers.
The remaining cash earned by Fairtrade goods is swallowed by supply chain middlemen and licensing fees charged by the Fairtrade organisation.
Fairtrade, founded in 1988, is a global charity that brings together 20 regional licensing organisations across the world to ensure producers in the developing world get fair prices for their goods.
But Nick Gading, an expert at retail analyst Verdict, told Financial Mail: 'People would be shocked to find out how little really goes back to the producers.
'Consumers believe their money is going to those vulnerable in the supply chain, but in reality something very different is happening.'
In a survey of top supermarkets carried out by Financial Mail, Fairtrade coffee was consistently in the top price bracket. In one example, out of 80 varieties of coffee being sold, 20 were Fairtrade and a further ten were other ethical labels.
At Sainsbury's, the UK's biggest Fairtrade retailer, with sales running at £1 million a week and up 70% from last year, a carton of 80 Fairtrade teabags costs £1.69 while Sainsbury's own-label bags are only 95p.
Sainsbury's told Financial Mail that company policy meant it did not take higher margins from Fairtrade lines. However, because the products are more expensive, supermarkets make much more money, even though the margins remain similar.
A leading supermarket makes 60p on a 200g Fairtrade jar of coffee costing £2.49, more than a third more than the 39p it makes on an own-label equivalent.
One insider told Financial Mail that retailers were jumping on the Fairtrade bandwagon to line their pockets. 'They make a little extra on top because they know consumers will not question it if it says Fairtrade on the label,' he said. 'There can be so many middlemen before the product reaches the shelves and they are getting bigger cuts.'
Helia Ebrahimi, Mail on Sunday
25 September 2006
An extra few pence does not seem much. And most of us are happy to dig a little deeper to ease our conscience when we see the Fairtrade label on food or clothing.
Our gesture, we believe, helps poor farmers in the developing world.
But Financial Mail, the sister newspaper of This is Money, has established that of the estimated £200m spent on certified Fairtrade products in this country, only about £42m gets back to those in the developing world.
The single biggest rake-off is enjoyed by British supermarkets, which take about 32p of every pound spent by consumers.
The remaining cash earned by Fairtrade goods is swallowed by supply chain middlemen and licensing fees charged by the Fairtrade organisation.
Fairtrade, founded in 1988, is a global charity that brings together 20 regional licensing organisations across the world to ensure producers in the developing world get fair prices for their goods.
But Nick Gading, an expert at retail analyst Verdict, told Financial Mail: 'People would be shocked to find out how little really goes back to the producers.
'Consumers believe their money is going to those vulnerable in the supply chain, but in reality something very different is happening.'
In a survey of top supermarkets carried out by Financial Mail, Fairtrade coffee was consistently in the top price bracket. In one example, out of 80 varieties of coffee being sold, 20 were Fairtrade and a further ten were other ethical labels.
At Sainsbury's, the UK's biggest Fairtrade retailer, with sales running at £1 million a week and up 70% from last year, a carton of 80 Fairtrade teabags costs £1.69 while Sainsbury's own-label bags are only 95p.
Sainsbury's told Financial Mail that company policy meant it did not take higher margins from Fairtrade lines. However, because the products are more expensive, supermarkets make much more money, even though the margins remain similar.
A leading supermarket makes 60p on a 200g Fairtrade jar of coffee costing £2.49, more than a third more than the 39p it makes on an own-label equivalent.
One insider told Financial Mail that retailers were jumping on the Fairtrade bandwagon to line their pockets. 'They make a little extra on top because they know consumers will not question it if it says Fairtrade on the label,' he said. 'There can be so many middlemen before the product reaches the shelves and they are getting bigger cuts.'
