Kraft, activists still differ on coffee standards

COMPANY TEAMS WITH RAINFOREST ALLIANCE, BUT GROUPS SEEK `FAIR-TRADE' COMMITMENT

NORTHFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Kraft Foods is still at odds with some activist groups over its coffee-buying standards, despite a new partnership with the Rainforest Alliance.

The nation's largest food and beverage company announced last week that it had agreed to buy coffee from growers who meet certain social and environmental standards, as certified by the Rainforest Alliance, a conservation group.

But the decision did not mollify groups pushing for large companies to sell coffee certified as ``fair trade,'' which its advocates say has higher social and economic standards for its growers than the standards agreed to by Kraft.

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