UK: Fair-trade, organic Palestinian olive oil at Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury's has just started to sell an extra-virgin olive oil that is organic and fairtrade, and produced by beleaguered farmers in Palestine. The supermarket said it was expected to be an important product for ethical consumers, who were keener than ever to know the provenance of their food and to ensure producers were receiving a decent wage. The oil costs 8.50 £ for a 500 ml bottle, The Telegraph reports.
 

The farmers producing the oil are mostly based around Jenin and Nablus in the West Bank and are expected to receive about a quarter of the 8.50 £ selling price. Nasser Abu Farha, the Palestinian entrepreneur exporting the oil, said that this would become one of the main exports for Palestine, and it would make a real difference to the farmers. Three-quarters of Palestinian farmers live in poverty. Fair Trade products like olives, oil and honey from Palestine have been exported since 2004, but this is the first time that the Palestinian Fair Trade Association has converted their olive orchards to organic.

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