USA: Sales of fair trade certified products up 75 % in 2011

Fair Trade USA, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the USA has reported new data revealing that sales of Fair Trade Certified products grew by 75 % in 2011. The data from SPINS LLC indicates that sales of Fair Trade Certified products grew fastest in the mass merchant - mainstream grocery, food and drug – channel, which saw a 95 % increase in Fair Trade Certified product sales in 2011. This overall growth in sales was largely driven by nationally-distributed brands in the USA increasing their commitment to Fair Trade.

The frozen desserts category grew 394 %, driven in part by brands like Ben & Jerry’s. Honest Tea increased its Fair Trade Certified offerings, which helped grow ready-to-drink beverages by 37 %; cookies, snack bars and energy bars grew more than tenfold; and the spice category grew 126 %. Large growth in sales was also seen in baking mixes (+51 %) and sweeteners (+72 %). More information is available here: Fair Trade USA