Storm in a coffee cup over ethical marketing

By Caroline Muspratt

When you reach for your jar of Fairtrade coffee this morning, the makers hope you will spare a thought for the farmers in the developing world. But a row is brewing between two of the organisations that certify ethical coffee over whose fair trade is the fairest.

A war of words has broken out between the Fairtrade Foundation and the US-based Rainforest Alliance, both non-profit organisations that certify ethical coffee.

The Fairtrade Foundation said earlier this week that it was concerned that a coffee made by Kraft, called Kenco Sustainable Development, was being mistaken by shoppers for Fairtrade. The coffee is certified as sustainable by the Rainforest Alliance.

More...