UK sales of ethically sourced Fairtrade products increased by 19 per cent in 2012 and the Fairtrade Foundation says it now expects continued growth in the country in the wake of the ongoing horsemeat scandal.

British consumers spent £1.57bn (€1.8bn) on Fairtrade products last year, more thanin any other country, and Mike Gidney, CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation,which manages Fairtrade certification in the UK, has targeted UK sales of Fairtrade products to hit £2bn (€2.3bn) pounds by 2015.

Speaking ahead of promotional event Fairtrade Fortnight, which runs from February 25 toMarch 10, Gidney called for retailers to be subjected to 'independent verification' after admitting he doesn't fully trust the supply chains of UK retailers.

'The horsemeat scandal is just the latest bit of evidence that the food system is dangerously out of control,' said Gidney.

'Itmakes the case for independent verification. Companies cannot be trusted on their own, they need to be able to prove their commitment.'

Gidney believes that the British public no longer mind paying a premium for good quality fresh produce.

Heexplained: 'Just because you're getting something which is cheap doesn't mean you're getting value; take cheap beef burgers - they're cheap, but where's the value if you're getting horse instead of beef?'

However,Richard Dodd of the British Retail Consortium has insisted that the supply chains of UK supermarkets still remain robust.

He said: 'Clearly it's a small number that's too great a number, and there most certainly is action needed and action being undertaken to address processors' systems and intelligence gathering to make sure that this can't happen again.

'But it doesn't indicate a supply chain that's fundamentally failing.'

Inrecent times, leading retailers Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Morrisons and The Co-op have all switched to Fairtrade bananas. While The Co-operative recently switched all of its own-brand bunches of standard and single stem roses to Fairtrade.

Worldwide sales of Fairtrade branded products were up 12 per cent to USD$6.6bn (€7.6bn) in 2011.

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