More Nestlé chocolate bars go Fairtrade (From York Press)

More Nestlé chocolate bars go Fairtrade

10:19am Friday 26th October 2012 in Business news By Julie Hayes, Business editor

Two-finger KitKats can now be labelled Fairtrade

AN additional 4,500 cocoa farmers in the Ivory Coast are to benefit from better prices after Nestlé doubled its commitment to the Fairtrade ethic.

The four-finger KitKat was certified as Fairtrade in January 2010 and after arranging supply agreements with nine additional farm co-operatives in the Ivory Coast, representing 4,500 new farmers, the business has been able to extend the certification to its two-finger KitKats.

This means an extra 800 million bars a year will carry the mark, becoming the first mainstream brand in the biscuit aisle to gain Fairtrade certification.

From January 2013, Nestlé UK & Ireland will buy an additional 5,300 tonnes of sustainable cocoa from fairtrade farmer co-operatives, who will receive a price that covers the costs of sustainable production and an additional Fairtrade premium to invest in their community or business development projects of their choice, such as improving healthcare and schools.

The new co-operatives will also join the Nestlé Cocoa Plan through which Nestlé has pledged to invest £65 million over ten years on plant science and sustainability initiatives to support small-scale cocoa farmers around the world.

Ciaran Sullivan, managing director of Nestlé Confectionery UK & Ireland, said: “Farmers in the Nestlé Cocoa Plan receive benefits such as new plantlets, farmer training and new schools for their communities. Ivorian farmers badly need our support and this move will help even more cocoa farmers and their families build a positive long-term future.”

Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, said: “I am delighted to hear that Nestlé in York is more than doubling the amount of fairtrade cocoa it is using, as the two-finger KitKat goes Fairtrade. Having been to the Ivory Coast and met farmers there, I understand how great the challenges are. We must continue to press for a fair deal for producers, and for the welfare of children and families in their communities. This latest step is a sign of Nestlé’s ongoing commitment to change across the whole cocoa industry.”