Sales of Fairtrade products in the UK rose by 12% last year to nudge GBP800m (US$1.24bn) but the growth in sales slowed on the previous 12 months.
According to data released today by The Fairtrade Foundation, UK Fairtrade sales reached GBP799m in 2009, a 12% increase over 2008.
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The continued growth in Fairtrade sales indicated that consumers were willing to pay a premium for the ethical mark despite the downturn.
However, sales slowed in 2009 with the category lapping a robust 2008 when sales jumped 43%.
Nevertheless, Harriet Lamb, chief executive of the Fairtrade Foundation, said shoppers were still “voting with their wallets for fairness”.
“These challenging times have been a wake-up call and forward-thinking companies have also been re-evaluating their priorities, seeing sustainability as the way forward for business, building relations with producers and introducing many Fairtrade products in the past year,” Lamb said.
