Borough gets a first for Fairtrade (From Thurrock Gazette)
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Borough gets a first for Fairtrade
3:00pm Friday 1st March 2013 in News
THURROCK has been awarded its first Fairtrade town.
Stanford-le-Hope and Corringham has been given Fairtrade status after it showed it recognises the brand and shops in the area stock Fairtrade goods.
The campaign aims to get fairer deals for farmers and producers of food and drink worldwide.
Mandie Groves, from the Stanford-le-Hope and Corringham Steering Group for Fairtrade, said: “We had to do lots of work – we had to audit all the cafes and supermarkets to find out how many Fairtrade products they sold and we had to hit a target.
“Then we had to do surveys asking questions about Fairtrade.
“Now we have the status, it means we are aware of Fairtrade and we are able to use the logo on our road signs.”
Shoppers were treated to a tea, coffee and chocolate taste test at the Co-Op in Stanford-le-Hope this week and the group is also planning a 100 chocolate bar drop – in the style of the popular TV programme The £1million Drop – at Hassenbrook School next week.
This comes as the country celebrates Fairtrade Fortnight from February 27 to March 10.
Fairtrade products have bucked the economic trend and sales in 2012 topped £1.5billion, a growth of 19 per cent.
Log on to www.fairtrade.org.uk
