By this summer, all Waitrose bananas will carry the Fairtrade and Waitrose Foundation labels, as the retailer steps up its commitment to banana farming communities
Waitrose has announced that its Fairtrade bananas, the top-selling product at the supermarket, will also join the Waitrose Foundation, which aims to “create better livelihoods for workers and sustainable supply chains globally”.
According to Waitrose, over 2p of every £1 spent on bananas will go to the growing communities, which is above the Fairtrade Minimum Price and Fairtrade Premium. All Waitrose bananas are set to be co-labelled by the summer of 2026.
Projects benefiting local communities, collectively chosen by individual committees, include climate change adaptation, enhancing food and water security and improving soil fertility.
Charlotte Di Cello, Waitrose chief commercial officer and chair of Waitrose Foundation global board, commented: “The Waitrose Foundation label on over 200 products represents our commitment to building sustainable livelihoods within many of the most challenged parts of global agriculture. We’re proud to announce this new partnership with Fairtrade, which coincides with the recent celebration of our Waitrose Foundation’s 20th anniversary and over £25m generated to date. This partnership will continue our strong relationship with Fairtrade, helping support our global farms and their communities.”
In its first 20 years, the Waitrose Foundation has given back £25m to communities in the Waitrose supply chain, operating in 10 countries. Recent projects have included installing energy efficient cooking stoves, creche facilities and microloans for Kenyan flower farms.
Kerrina Thorogood, partnerships director at the Fairtrade Foundation, expressed pride in its longstanding partnership with Waitrose and their shared commitment to banana farmers and workers.
“Growing the world’s most popular fruit, banana farmers and workers play a vital role in ensuring food security and wellbeing for millions of families worldwide,” she said. “Yet they face mounting challenges – from rising production costs and climate change to pests, diseases, biodiversity loss, and inadequate infrastructure – all of which threaten their livelihoods. As part of our new partnership, Waitrose Foundation’s investment in the Sustainable Banana Programme will help to further strengthen the resilience and long-term viability of smallholder banana farmers and plantation workers.”
Waitrose said its commitment to 100 per cent Fairtrade-certified bananas and improved livelihood projects on the ground was further complemented by paying the living wage differential on bananas from all its plantations, delivering on its 2027 industry commitment two years early.
“The existing commitment to Fairtrade certified bananas ensures a Minimum Price and additional Fairtrade Premium goes to the producer groups,” the supermarket stated. “The additional programmatic activity, supported by Waitrose Foundation, will cover four critical areas of work: improving sustainable production of bananas, building the climate resilience of smallholder farmers, improving farm biodiversity to enhance soil health and yields, and supporting smallholders with data management and market access.”
