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Article

24 Feb 2015

Author:
Sarah Butler, Guardian (UK)

UK: Fairtrade sales decrease for first time

Sales of Fairtrade goods have fallen for the first time since the ethical trading scheme was founded 20 years ago...The slide of almost 4%, after years of double-digit growth, reflects wider troubles in the grocery market as shoppers put less in their baskets and turn to cheaper chains such as Aldi and Lidl in a bid to save money...Michael Gidney, chief executive of the Fairtrade foundation, said: “Our main concern now is that increasingly aggressive competitive behaviour in the grocery sector could undermine the volumes farmers and workers are able to sell on Fairtrade terms. This will result in real losses to hardworking families and communities in some of the poorest countries in the world.”