Fairtrade Mark
Also known as: Fairtrade, FAIRTRADE Mark, fair trade, fair trade logo, Fairtrade certified
A private mark owned by Fairtrade International: producers receive a minimum price and an extra premium, checked by the independent certifier FLOCERT.
The Fairtrade Mark, the black, blue and green circle with a waving figure, is private certification, not a legal requirement. It is owned by Fairtrade International, an international organisation with its head office in Bonn, while a separate independent company, FLOCERT, checks that the rules are followed.
The mark promises two things to producers in developing countries. First, a minimum price for many products: if the world price falls below it, the buyer still pays at least that amount. Second, the Fairtrade Premium, extra money on top of the price that a cooperative spends on shared needs such as schools, roads or equipment. There are separate standards for small farmers organised in cooperatives, and specific standards for tea.
According to Fairtrade International, the mark appears on more than 30,000 products. Across the themes of this site it is most visible on tea: Open Food Facts lists several times more Fairtrade teas than Fairtrade honeys or sausages. It also appears on honey from Latin America, such as the Fairtrade honeys from Langnese and Bihophar on this site.
Besides the main mark there is a version for a single ingredient. It means that only the named ingredient, cocoa in a biscuit for example, was bought on Fairtrade terms, not the whole product. That is why the small caption under the circle is worth reading.
Do not confuse Fairtrade with organic or with EU protected names. The mark is about the terms of trade, not the farming method or the place. A tea may be Fairtrade without being organic, and the other way round. Tea often also carries the Rainforest Alliance frog, a different private scheme with different rules.
What the mark does not guarantee: taste, quality or environmental performance. Nor does it rule out large plantations for some products such as tea, provided labour standards are met there.
Why it matters to you: if you care how much the grower was paid, Fairtrade is one of the few marks that checks the money itself. Quality and ingredients are still only on the label.
Facts
| Mandatory status | private certification mark |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | private standard of Fairtrade International; certification by FLOCERT |
How it connects to Food labels & standards
Fairtrade Mark → kind of → 🏷️ How to read a food label
Links
- Part of
- 🏷️ How to read a food label, Quality marks on packs
- Similar and different
- Rainforest Alliance seal, Organic food (EU organic logo)
- Found on
- Bihophar Bio & Fairtrade, Langnese Bio & Fairtrade
Frequently asked questions
What does the Fairtrade Mark mean on a pack?
That the producer received at least the Fairtrade Minimum Price where one exists, plus a premium for the community, and that the independent certifier FLOCERT checked the rules.
Who runs Fairtrade in the UK?
The Fairtrade Foundation, a member of Fairtrade International, licenses the mark in the UK; certification of producers and traders is done by FLOCERT.
Is Fairtrade the same as fair trade in general?
No. Fair trade is a broad idea used by many groups; the FAIRTRADE Mark is one registered trademark with its own standards and audits.
Is there British honey with the Fairtrade Mark?
No. The mark is for small producers in developing countries, so Fairtrade honey in British shops is imported, mostly from Latin America, and only packed here.
Is it true that Fairtrade products are always organic?
No. Organic is a separate certification with the EU logo. A product may carry both marks, only one, or neither.
What to read next
- Langnese Bio & Fairtrade — Langnese range of organic blossom honeys and a Fairtrade blossom honey, in glass jars and the Flotte Biene dispenser.
- Rainforest Alliance seal — A private mark with a frog: farms and supply chains are checked against the Rainforest Alliance sustainable agriculture standard; most common on tea, coffee and cocoa.
- Organic food (EU organic logo) — Food certified under EU rules: at least 95 % of farm ingredients organic, with the green leaf logo and a control body code on the pack.
- Bihophar Bio & Fairtrade — Bihophar's organic range of six honeys, including acacia, forest, blossom and Fairtrade honey from Latin America.