Fairtrade has to be a good thing, doesn’t it?

The opportunity for producers in developing countries to supply the UK marketplace under terms that not only give them a fair return for their goods but also allow the local community to develop through inward investment is obviously one to applaud.

It is unlikely that the high-profile inclusion of Fairtrade into a supermarket’s core strategy is merely a calculated attempt to draw in new customers, however. Fairtrade is profitable. By dint of its premium it offers margin over and above the norm. So retailers win on both counts - their corporate image is enhanced while the coffers bulge.

That is commerce, there is no argument against it and I certainly am not suggesting that the UK’s retailers are doing anything wrong in furthering their own causes. But Fairtrade needs protection. There are already loud whispers that the two per cent paid into Fairtrade’s central pot to fund development projects and administer a considerable public relations campaign is too much.

The argument being that if retailers of the brand pay less in, they can buy more. They can then push the volume through their stores that expands the brand, enabling a wider band of producers to benefit from the resultant windfall.

Except it doesn’t work like that in reality. The limited power that Fairtrade has over its users at the moment begins to dissipate as soon as it makes any concessions. Retail bargaining power as we all know is strong and the arguments on paper are often persuasive. But the concept and beliefs of the Fairtrade Foundation are sound. It must stick to its guns and resist any urge to step backwards.