Fair Trade News

The Flake, the Creme Egg, the Crunchie, the Curly Wurly, these are all brands of the British candy maker Cadbury’s, now likely to be stamped with the brand Kraft. If Cadbury’s shareholders accept a takeover bid from the American company, the $20 million deal will create the world’s biggest chocolate maker.

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Kraft Foods Inc. has sweetened its offer for Cadbury to $19.5 billion, making the company’s buyout sound much like a done deal, but for some Britons the deal isn’t sweet enough.

“Nearly everything in this country is now owned by foreign companies,” lamented Peter on the Daily Mail’s message board. In the UK, Cadbury is often thought of as British institution, and its nearly 200 year legacy a source of national pride. London Mayor Boris Johnson dubbed its products the “taste of British childhood,” and many customers seem to share his nostalgia. Adding her name to an online petition, Spanish Cadbury enthusiast, Veronica Parra, sympathized with her British peers: “This brand (Cadbury’s) is an icon of England (and) a beloved brand all around the world. You are one of the few countries who still have your national identity. Don’t sell your soul to Americans!!”

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Among the new resources were many Fair Trade companies, all members of the Fair Trade Federation, including new South African jewelry resource World Shoppe. Even though the company is brand new, its founder Megy Karydes is no stranger to the Chicago market: she used to work for the Mart before going out on her own. Fair Trade is among the categories the Mart hopes to expand even further in years to come.

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The Chicago Sun-Times has written an article about the recent Chicago Market show, where there was a Fair Trade presence by Fair Trade Federation members:

For many people, the term “fair trade” is often synonymous with coffee. Or Chris Martin of Coldplay.

But Chicago is showing us that fashion is a huge part of fair trade as well.

Small, female-run businesses in Chicago have partnered with artisans in economically challenged countries such as Cambodia, India and Guatemala to make sure they work in safe and fair conditions and get a livable wage. The result is beautiful, fashion-forward and affordable clothing and accessories, and our money goes straight to the hardworking people who created it.

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LONDON, Jan. 12 (UPI) — U.S. food giant Kraft and British chocolate maker Cadbury traded barbs Tuesday in the war for shareholder support with a hostile takeover in the balance.

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