16 June 2008, 12:52 PM
  • UK consumers are increasingly placing an emphasis on the importance of food ethics when making purchases, an expert claims.

Innovative food and drink companies are tapping into the growing ethical shopping market, as shoppers are now “keen to make informed decisions about where they shop and what they buy.”

According to a spokesperson for the Fairtrade Foundation, consumers who invest in fair trade products demonstrate How “profit and principle can go together.”

The spokeswoman urged shoppers to continue to purchase fair trade goods through the credit crunch as “global economic hardship ultimately affects everyone” and praised the growing commitment of retailers to the cause.

“Sales have been increasing by over 40% year-on-year since 2002,” she explained. “The continued rise in fair trade sales would suggest to us that shoppers place a high value on ethical and responsible sourcing.”

Britons spend an estimated £493 million on fair trade products during 2007 and 70% of the UK population now recognises the Fairtrade Mark, according to a poll by the Fairtrade Foundation.