Fair-trade coffee branded a spin tactic

London: Nestlé, the world's largest and most ethically questioned food and drink company, has introduced a brand of coffee in Britain that offers a better deal for the growers.

But the initiative has divided the company's critics, some of whom congratulated it for encouraging the growth of fair trade, while others said it was a cynical attempt to improve the company's global reputation.

Nestlé, which has a turnover of $US67 billion ($88 billion) and buys 750,000 tonnes of coffee beans a year, refused to say how much it expected to sell under its new Partners' Blend label, but insisted it wanted to help farmers in Africa and Latin America.

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