Kit Kat goes Fairtrade

Back in March 2009, Cadbury announced this it’s Dairy Milk bars would be made with Fairtrade cocoa.

Now nestle have followed suit by turning the nation’s favourite chocolate biscuit bar, the Kit Kat, into a fairtrade indulgence.

From next January, Kit Kat will bear the fair trade logo which ensures African farmers get more for their cocoa beans.

As well as the Fairtrade price (or market price if higher) for the cocoa, farmers’ organisations receive additional Fairtrade premium payments to invest in long-term community and business development projects of their own choice, such as education and healthcare, the environment or their businesses.

Farmers living in the Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) will benefit from an extra $150 (£90) per tonne of cocoa beans, 4% above the $3,384 world price and will be able to sell their cocoa directly to Nestle.

As just over 1 billion Kit Kats are sold every day in the UK, this will help make a difference to the people who need it most.

Côte d’Ivoire is one of the poorest countries in the world, with the poverty level rising from 38% in 2002 to 49% in 2008 as a result of the conflict in recent years, according to the World Bank.  The country produces 40% of the world’s cocoa and one in four people directly or indirectly depend on cocoa farming.

Consumers say one of the main barriers to purchasing Fairtrade products is availability and also that they would like their favourite brands to be Fairtrade.  As Kit Kat is the UK’s best-selling chocolate biscuit bar, this should make huge differences and hopefully other companies and brands will follow.

The sugar in the product will also be Fairtrade certified, sourced from Belize, providing additional premiums of $60 per tonne for the farmers to invest in improving their communities and farming practices.