Can Fair Trade be unethical?

The recent news that Nestlé plans to coat a proportion of their Kit Kats in Fair Trade chocolate, discussed a few days ago in the CO3 blog, has raised an interesting point. It is clear that opponents of the company, such as the Baby Milk Action campaign, feel that this decision is a PR ploy. Some of the people who have been campaigning for a boycott of Nestlé products believe that their argument extends to the company’s Fair Trade products, such as Kit Kat and Partner’s Blend coffee.

There is a counter argument to this position. Strong demand for their Fair Trade products will encourage companies, such as Nestlé, to adopt wider Fair Trade certification. Little or no demand for them will discourage them to do this. It may even result in a reversal of the growing trend for major consumer brands to adopt Fair Trade.

Personally, I am very happy to pick and seek out Fair Trade items in my weekly shop irrespective of which company has made them. I will certainly continue to do so.