Two additional UK supermarket chains will stock Fairtrade pineapples from next week.
Joining the Co-op, Somerfield and Waitrose will now sell the fruit in selected stores for the first time.
Available all year, the pineapples are of the Golden variety, and are produced by the Asoproagroín association of farmers in Costa Rica. The fruit is imported by AgroFair UK, a Fairtrade fruit company owned by the farmers themselves, including growers from Asoproagroín.
The increased quantity required for the UK market means that for the first time the pineapples will be discharged directly into Sheerness.
Previously the UK received a share of the Fairtrade pineapples exported to AgroFair's international headquarters in Holland.
The pineapples will carry the Oké Fairtrade label (AgroFair's brand) as well as the Fairtrade mark.
Bernardo Jaén, chief executive officer at Asoproagroín said: "Our fruit tastes great but in the Fairtrade system it's not enough just to produce quality. This fruit is also about the way it's produced. It's about the environment. It's about a fair system. We send a big thank you to our new customers in the UK."
Asoproagroín's Vilma Maritza Cambronero Badilla added: "In Costa Rica there aren't many job opportunities for women over 35. Asoproagroín has brought a better standard of living for myself and my family, good training and work that has meaning. Thanks to Fairtrade we have more work in this region and better lives for many women and their families."
AgroFair's Duncan White concluded: "We are delighted to welcome our new customers. 2003 has been a great year for extending the Fairtrade fruit bowl we promised UK consumers as both Fairtrade mangoes and pineapples are now accessible to even more shoppers."
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