Cadbury Announces Chocolate Will Become Fairtrade Certified™

LONDON - (Business Wire) Cadbury plc, a leading global confectionery company, today announced that its Cadbury Dairy Milk® will receive Fairtrade certification with the FAIRTRADE Mark appearing on UK and Irish Cadbury Dairy Milk products by the end of summer 2009. This significant announcement on Cadbury Dairy Milk will result in the tripling of sales of cocoa under Fairtrade terms for cocoa farmers in Ghana.

Working with the UK-based Fairtrade Foundation, Cadbury Dairy Milk in the UK and Ireland will be the first to receive the certification, although the company will pursue options for a phased roll-out of the certification process across other Cadbury Dairy Milk varieties and other Cadbury businesses across the world.

Cadbury Chief Executive, Todd Stitzer, says, “This is an historic moment for our company. I am proud that the nation’s favourite chocolate bar will display the FAIRTRADE Mark. I was in Ghana last month and saw how vital it is that businesses support their partners and the communities they live in. We believe that by joining forces with the Fairtrade Foundation, we can further improve living standards and conditions for farmers and farming communities, and create a sustainable supply of high quality cocoa for Cadbury.”

“Cadbury’s commitment is breakthrough news for the farmers in Ghana who are very excited that they will be able to sell more of their cocoa as Fairtrade, bringing greater benefits to their communities,” says Harriet Lamb, Chief Executive of the UK Fairtrade Foundation. “We’re delighted to have the opportunity to certify Cadbury Dairy Milk, enabling all those who buy it to make a real difference for cocoa farmers with every purchase. This certainly sets a new standard for the mainstream chocolate industry.”

As a long-term supporter of sustainable cocoa farming, the move coincides with the 100th anniversary of Cadbury’s first full crop from Ghana and marks the first anniversary of the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership. Through this initiative, Cadbury is investing roughly $64 million USD over the next 10 years to help secure the economic, social and environmental sustainability of a million cocoa farmers and their communities in Ghana, India, Indonesia and the Caribbean.

Throughout the world, Cadbury has a heritage of ethical sourcing standards and the development of sustainable agriculture programs. Cadbury works with more than 40,000 suppliers around the world who are expected to adhere to the company’s Ethical Sourcing Standards. The Green & Black’s Maya Gold bar owned by Cadbury is already Fairtrade Certified.

In addition to sustainable sourcing efforts, Cadbury is focused on reducing its environmental impact. Through the Purple Goes Green initiative announced in July 2007, the company set targets to reduce carbon, water and packaging. By 2020, the company intends to make a 50% reduction in ‘absolute’ carbon emissions with a 10% reduction in packaging by 2010. The company has also introduced several new packaging innovations, including a new display case for products such as Trident Xtra Care, using 50% less cardboard.

Cadbury is also committed to brand values and community investment to support social welfare. In December 2008, Cadbury’s Trident brand, the number one gum brand in the world, announced a three-year, $1.5 million grant to Smiles Across America (SAA), the signature program of Oral Health America, to provide dental services and education to children in underserved communities nationwide.

For more information about all of Cadbury’s corporate responsibility commitments, please visit http://www.dearcadbury.com/.

Source: http://www.earthtimes.org/